Spain's Las Leonas host Springbok Women in Seville for first time in seven years

Spain’s Las Leonas will host the Springbok Women at Seville’s La Cartuja Sports Complex on Sunday 4 October, the Real Federación Española de Rugby (FER) has confirmed — marking the first time the national women’s side has ever played a fixture in the city.

The one-off Test comes on the back of Spain’s WXV Global Series Challenger campaign in Hong Kong, where Las Leonas face Fiji, Samoa and Brazil in quick succession. FER described the home fixture as “crucial for the women’s national team’s objectives”, with qualification for the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Australia potentially on the line this season.

Spain arrive in good form. Despite a group-stage exit at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, Régis Sonnes’ side swept to the Women’s Rugby Europe Championship title in his first tournament as head coach — a result that underlined the programme’s upward trajectory.

South Africa, however, represent a stern test. Now ranked 10th in the World Rugby standings, Swys de Bruin’s Springbok Women announced themselves on the global stage at last autumn’s World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals before falling to the Black Ferns at Exeter’s Sandy Park. In the months since, they have claimed a fifth consecutive Rugby Africa Women’s Cup, drawn a Test series with the USA Women’s Eagles and whitewashed the Fijiana XV.

FER characterised the South African side as “a formidable, highly physical forward pack combined with explosive speed among their outside backs” — a combination that has made them one of the most improved teams in the women’s game over the past 12 months.

Las Leonas have not beaten the Springbok Women in seven years, and FER has called on supporters to “roar” the team from the stands as they look to end that run in front of a home crowd for the first time.

South Africa’s schedule around the fixture is equally demanding: they face Wales and Italy in WXV Global Series action before hosting Ireland twice in October.