The development of women’s rugby in South Africa took another big step forward on Monday when the second annual Betway Women’s Club Championship (WCC) kicked off in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
Defending champions KWARU (EP) will join last year’s beaten finalists, Walker Babes (Boland), Pirates (Lions) and Harlequins (Bulls) in Wednesday’s Premier Division Cup semi-finals, after eight matches and almost 500 minutes of high-quality women’s rugby at the Alberton Rugby Club, south of Johannesburg.
KWARU – who made history last year when they became the first team to win the title – showed their championship class in Monday’s main match when they withstood an early onslaught from DUT to reach the final four thanks to an impressive 29-5 victory spearheaded by flyhalf and player of the match, Junior Springbok representative Julene Haas.
16 top women’s club teams – one from each of the 15 provincial unions together with defending champions KWARU – will play three days of rugby, in a format similar to that of the FNB Youth Weeks, with the tournament set to conclude on Friday. The teams are once again split into two divisions of eight teams each, based on the rankings from last year’s tournament.
The champions showed admirable grit to hold off DUT’s early energy, before putting on the kind of champion display that would have sent a clear message to their fellow title contenders.
Lock Hlomla Puzi scored a brace – once to open the scoring and once to finish it – while tighthead prop Ziyanda Gqontshi also crashed over in a first half in which DUT threw everything they had at the defending champions, to trail by just five points at the break.
However, KWARU effortlessly shifted through the gears after the resumption, with flyhalf Haas, centre Thando Hena and tight forward Puzi adding the finishing touches to a superb second-half team effort.
KWARU 29 (10), Durban University of Technology 5 (5)
KWARU – Tries: Hlomla Puzi (2), Ziyanda Gqontshi, Julene Haas, Thando Hena. Conversions: Haas (2).
DUT – Try: Elam Zonele.
