Springbok Women's captain Nolusindiso Booi said their performance in the 46-17 defeat to the New Zealand Black Ferns in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final was a performance that everyone will be proud of.
“We really had them confused at the end of the first half with our tactics and they did not have all the answers to combat our mauls with so many players in it, for example,” said Booi.
“The quality team they are, they did outplay us in the second half and deserved to win, but I know we left nothing out there and every player should be proud of what they did out there today.”
Booi said the variety in play by the coaches received the buy-in from the players from the start: “We have very good coaches and they always have a plan which works most of the times. So today’s tactical approach was one we were ready to try and when it went well in training, we knew it could work in the game as well. And it did, but we could not sustain that, unfortuntately.”
The Bok captain, who was playing in her fourth World Cup, said they are leaving the tournament with heads held high.
“This was the best Women’s World Cup performance ever by a South African team by far,” she said.
“The pleasing part of this was the enjoyment the team had in the last month, knowing that we were not only playing good rugby, but also leaving a benchmark for future teams. That was very important for us as a squad to do.
“We leave with pride and just want to wish the remaining teams well in the semi-finals and final. And we will arrive back in South Africa next week knowing that the support we received from home helped us towards this milestone performance.”