Must Win Clash
South African women’s halfback, Rumandi Potgieter, revealed that they don’t want to leave the Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand after their final Pool C game against England on October 23.
Thursday 13 October 2022 | 14:23
Fijiana halfback Lavena Cavuru during the team’s training session in Auckland, New Zealand, on October 11, 2022. Photo: FRU Media
South African women’s halfback, Rumandi Potgieter, revealed that they don’t want to leave the Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand after their final Pool C game against England on October 23.
She told IOL that they want to play in the quarterfinal as one of the two best placed third teams from the three pools.
And their mission is to score a bonus point win against the Sereima Leweniqila captained-Fijiana side at the Waitakere Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sunday.
A win is non-negotiable for South Africa if they want to keep their hopes alive of finishing in the top eight and qualifying for the playoffs, according to Potgieter.
“Our mission is clear – we need to win, and we need to win with a bonus point by scoring four tries. So, we have a clear idea of what we need to do and how to get the perfect outcome,” she said.
“We do not want to go back (to South Africa) after our final pool game. We have just settled in, gotten used to the weather and experienced all the drama and emotions of being part of the World Cup. We certainly want more and as many opportunities as possible to showcase our team to the world.”
In an interview yesterday, Fijiana lineout coach Inoke Male said they were aware of the importance of the South Africa match.
“It’s a must win game for us,” he said.
“We’re expecting it to be physical upfront. We’ve walked the girls through the game situation and the head coach has got a plan on how to counter South Africa.
“We’ll run the ball and show our Fijian flair. This is another challenge, but we are ready for South Africa.”
Although the Fijians are unpredictable, Potgieter believes they have what it takes to beat them.
“We have a plan to combat Fiji. They (Fijiana) don’t play with much structure, they love to play the situation and what is in front of them. That makes them unpredictable and hard to analyse.
“We are playing the Fijians for the first time. They (Fijians) have not played many Tests either, so there is not too much footage on them.
“We will have to make sure we focus on our game though, as that is what will bring the result.”
She added that to win they were going to impose their style of play on the Fijiana side and not the other way around.
The match kicks off at 4:45pm.
Feedback: leonec@fijisun.com.fj
