There’s nothing better for a prop than to see a scrum marching forward.
And while Laurian Johannes-Haupt hung up her playing boots years ago, her whistle is now prominent as an assistant coach for the Springbok Women’s team, where her focus is on the forwards.
So, the former Western Province stalwart couldn’t hide her smile when asked about the Boks’ powerful scrums that set up last week’s 36-19 victory over Spain at the Cape Town Stadium.
The front row of Sanelisiwe Charlie, Lindelwa Gwala and Azisa Mkiva drilled their Spanish counterparts, and that allowed the likes of star No 8 Aseza Hele and dynamic lock Vainah Ubisi to play on the front foot.
Hele showcased the benefits of that dominance by barging over for an excellent early try off the back of a 5m scrum.
The experience of stalwart tighthead prop Babalwa Latsha will be utilised from the start of tomorrow’s WXV 2 opener against Japan at the same Cape Town Stadium (4pm start), as she will replace Mkiva.
“It was really special because we put a lot of time and effort into our forward dominance,” Johannes-Haupt told Independent Newspapers yesterday.
“It played out beautifully against Spain, but obviously we are just always looking to improve and become better. Japan is another challenge – a different team, different opponent.
“But we are trying our best to do the same and remain as dominant as we were (against Spain).”
The Bok Women looked in good spirits after their training session at Hamilton Rugby Club in Green Point, which is just opposite the Cape Town Stadium.
Performance coach Swys de Bruin and defence guru Bafana Nhleko were going through a number of drills on attack and without the ball, and the South Africans feel that they are ready for whatever the higher-ranked Japan will throw at them.
Yes, it is really happening. @WXVRugby is coming to a stadium near you!
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The Boks suffered a big blow yesterday, though, as star hooker Gwala – who scored a trademark maul try against Spain – was ruled out with an ankle injury that Johannes-Haupt said was sustained during training.
“She’s a special hooker. Unfortunately, she got hurt during training, so she’s not playing this upcoming game. But we are sure that Roseline Botes, as well as Micke Gunter can do that same job as we have been working on that control behind the maul – so why not!” Johannes-Haupt said.
“We actually expect a nice tussle up front. They (Japan) are very skilful, their attention to their technical detail is impeccable.
“We know that they are going to come with that, but we also want to counter and be better ourselves.
“We know what they can bring, but our focus is always on our game and how we want to play against Japan.
“Ultimately, proper attack and a proper D-line (defence), and getting off the line is very important.
Prep for the #WXV2 underway 💫🏉#BokWomen#MakeItCount pic.twitter.com/FKx8NZR1Wo
— SA Women's Rugby (@WomenBoks) September 23, 2024
“We are a very physical team. We like dominating in those battles. But we are now evolving as a team. We are now better on attack, we are better on D – so holistically, our game is evolving and just getting better, thanks to the new coaches that joined our team.
“You can see the positivity and vibe among the players to want to be better ... The drive, the passion is there.
“Our ultimate goal is to finish and score more tries. And how do you do that? By dominating in the set phase, and then scoring the try.”