Ubisi vows to redeem World Cup frustration as Springbok Women host Black Ferns for first time

Vainah Ubisi is carrying unfinished business into Saturday’s Test at FNB Stadium in Soweto, where the Springbok Women will host the Black Ferns for the first time in their history. The 23-year-old lock, limited to three substitute appearances at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup after a knee injury disrupted her preparation, says New Zealand are yet to see what she is truly capable of.

South Africa’s World Cup campaign was a landmark one — the Springbok Women reached the quarter-final stage of the tournament for the first time — but for Ubisi, the personal experience left a sour taste. Her side’s run ended with a quarter-final defeat to the Black Ferns at Sandy Park in Exeter, a match in which she again came off the bench.

“It was frustrating to go to the World Cup not having played much rugby and trying to catch up, so that experience was not the greatest for me,” Ubisi said. “At the World Cup, they did not see the best of me.”

She arrives at this weekend’s fixture in a markedly different position. Now an undisputed starter in the second row, Ubisi has built form and confidence through a successful domestic season with the Bulls Daisies and starting roles in two-Test series against the USA Women’s Eagles and the Fijiana XV over the past two months.

“I am happy with where I am at with regards to my form, my physicality and my growth as an international lock,” she said. “I am not waiting for something to happen; I see it as my job at lock to make this happen. We are the engine room after all.”

With 26 Test caps already accumulated at 23, Ubisi frames the rematch in pointed terms. “My Black Ferns experience was not the greatest, but now less than a year later, I can redeem that. I almost feel I will meet them at my terms this time around.”

The occasion adds further weight to her motivation. FNB Stadium, the largest venue in the country, provides a backdrop that Ubisi sees as an advantage rather than added pressure. “They are coming to face us on our home soil and we face off in the biggest stadium in the country. What more can one ask for?”