Tshiremba hat-trick seals Springbok Women's first-ever series whitewash in Fiji

Maria Tshiremba’s second-half hat-trick carried the Springbok Women to a hard-fought 29-22 victory over the Fijiana XV in Lautoka on Saturday, completing South Africa’s first-ever tour of Fiji with a clean sweep after their 55-12 opening win in Suva the previous week.

Assistant coach Franzel September described the result as “mission accomplished”, but acknowledged that the second Test was a far sterner examination than the first. “We expected Fiji to come back stronger after winning 55-12 in the first and they did,” September said. “This was a proper Test match.”

The Fijiana made good on that promise, generating 16 offloads and seven clean breaks while overturning a 10-5 half-time deficit through tries from Atelaite Buna and Adi Vani Buleki. South Africa’s Lindelwa Gwala had given the tourists an early lead, but the hosts’ relentless offloading game kept the contest alive deep into the second half.

It was Tshiremba who ultimately settled matters. The 30-year-old wing, who had amassed 64 tries across 20 HSBC SVNS tournaments before earning this Test opportunity, admitted she “could not help” smiling before crossing the line. A try from Vainah Ubisi added further gloss to the scoreline.

September was effusive in his praise for Tshiremba, who has spent several years on the fringes of the Springbok Women set-up. “The players and especially the coaches were really happy for Maria — we backed her and selected her for this match and she responded so well,” he said. “It was also pleasing that a couple of the other combinations we tried worked well. We learned a lot and it is always pleasing when a player rewards the faith coaches put in her.”

The coaching staff drew broader satisfaction from the way the side adapted when their trademark first-phase possession game came under pressure. “We were tested in different areas this time around and it was great for us as we needed to adapt and adjust our strategies,” September said. “We have our DNA of first phase possession to fall back on, but we also showed other areas of strength and that was a big plus for us.”

The Springbok Women will not have long to wait for their next challenge. South Africa are set to host the Black Ferns at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg as part of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, before Test matches against Wales and Italy in September and October, followed by back-to-back home fixtures against Ireland.