The SA Under-18 Girls team learned some valuable lessons when they were beaten 29-12 (half-time 19-12) by the Netherlands on a historic day in unseasonably cold, wet and windy conditions in Stellenbosch on Friday.
With a number of Springbok Women's players in attendance to witness the first SA U18 Girls team take the field, the hosts gave their all against a much more experienced team. They had some moments of brilliance, which were unfortunately cancelled by unforced errors and a lack of discipline.
Although they defended with heart, the SA girls would also have learned to look after the ball better, as they often handed possession over when they were in good attacking positions, only to see the Dutch score a few phases later.
The Dutch controlled the match from the outset and had the South Africans under pressure in their own half, but the girls in green and gold did well to defend their lines.
The visitors scored first when Fay Bushnell (centre) charged down a kick on the SA tryline and only had to fall on the ball for the points. The conversion was good, and the Europeans led 07-00 after nine minutes.
The SA U18S hit back almost immediately, though, when Nondumiso Molusi (wing) sliced through the Dutch defence after a strong attack down the right to make it 7-5 after 12 minutes.
The hosts hit the front 10 minutes later with a great try from Nuha Levy (flyhalf), who converted her own try to give the SA U18S a 12-07 lead.
The Dutch's patience and experience came through, though, as they scored two tries towards the end of the first half, both from tap penalties. First, Vera Roters (flyhalf) scored in the corner, and later Imme Bevers (prop) crashed over next to the posts to hand the visitors a 19-12 lead at the break.
The Netherlands increased their lead early in the second half when Roters scored her second try, which prompted the SA coaches to start making changes.
Roos Willemsen (replacement back) increased the visitors' lead with a try in the 55th minute after good phase play, after which the game turned into an arm-wrestle as both teams were guilty of mistakes which robbed them of any meaningful momentum.
The second match is at 17h00 on Tuesday, also at the Markotter Stadium at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch.
Scorers:
South Africa U18 Girls: Tries: Nondumiso Molusi, Nuha Levy. Conversion: Nuha Levy.
Netherlands U18: Tries: Fay Bushnell, Vera Roters (2), Imme Bevers, Roos Willemsen. Conversions: Vera Roters (2).