Springbok Women name 32-player squad to face Black Ferns in historic South Africa debut

The Springbok Women have named a 32-player training squad for their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry fixture against the Black Ferns at Soweto’s FNB Stadium next Saturday, marking the first time the two teams will face each other in a Test match on South African soil.

The match forms part of a doubleheader at FNB Stadium, with the Springbok Women and Black Ferns kicking off immediately before the third Test between the Springboks and All Blacks. That men’s series was levelled at 1-1 after the Springboks claimed a 33-26 victory at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium, with the fourth Test scheduled to follow in Baltimore.

Head coach Swys de Bruin has retained 16 players from the matchday 23 that faced New Zealand in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 quarter-final. Seven players who missed South Africa’s two-match tour of Fiji in August — Sanelisiwe Charlie, Micke Gunter, Danelle Lochner, Logan Welman, Unam Tose, Jakkie Cilliers and Aphiwe Ngwevu — are all recalled to the squad. Nadine Roos, Sinazo Mcatshulwa, Eloise Webb and Anathi Qolo are unavailable through injury.

Springbok Women captain Babalwa Latsha acknowledged the significance of the occasion. “It is almost surreal to think we are only playing each other for the first time in South Africa on the occasion of a Test match in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry between the Springboks and All Blacks,” she said. “We certainly hope that this could be the start of something similar. We are slowly making our way into the top echelons of the game, which will allow us more matches against the Black Ferns. I think for both teams, to share such an occasion with their male counterparts, will be huge.”

Latsha leads a forward pack that includes Lochner of Harlequins Women and Gunter of Leicester Tigers among the returning faces. The backs feature Tose, Cilliers and Ngwevu, all back in contention after missing the Fiji tour.