Bok Women suffer late injury as Malinga relishes WXV opportunity
INJURY UPDATE: Hooker Lindelwa Gwala suffered a calf strain and has been replaced by Roseline Botes in the starting team as Ayanda Malinga relishes her WXV debut.
Malinga's last outing against Japan came on a hot and humid night in Kumagaya but the memory of that special Test 26 months ago still fuels the Springbok Women wing.
Malinga bagged a brace in the 20-10 victory in what marked a first win for the Springbok Women side on foreign soil.
Fast forward to Friday, she is yet again fired-up and ready to run hard at her opponents - whom she respects a lot, especially after sharing the pitch with them on the HSBC SVNS circuit in 2023 and 2024.
But apart from the opportunities and passport stamps, not to mention the inevitable Olympic Games tattoo that sevens brought Malinga since 2022, she's desperate to make up for the pain of missing out on the World Cup in New Zealand in 2022.
The 26-year-old missed the campaign due to injury, ironically sustained at the Sevens World Cup in Cape Town, played at the same venue (Cape Town Stadium) where she will re-enter the fifteens fray to earn a ninth Test cap.
“It was a huge blow for me being injured before the World Cup, as I wanted to play in both those World Cups in one year, but that was not to be,” said Malinga after the squad completed their preparations for the 16.00 kick-off against Japan on Friday.
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“It still feels that my rugby ambitions are incomplete because of missing out on the World Cup. That is why I am so happy to be back playing for the Springbok Women and be in contention for next year's tournament in England.”
Having faced Japan a number of times in the sevens code, Malinga warned her teammates to be ready for a 'busy' afternoon:
“They are really committed and very capable at the breakdown and because of their size, can go really low. We will have to work hard in that area if we want dominance. They will be fit and disciplined no doubt, but we have our own strengths and plans for this match.”
Malinga's last outing at Cape Town Stadium when they faced the Barbarians Women on September 7, resulted in a brace for the Bok Womens' wing and she hopes to add more to her tally this Friday.
“It is one of my main jobs on the field, to score tries,” she said.
“If I do that and do it well, we will have a chance to win the game. I really believe we are in with a good chance, especially with our current style of play where I know I will get the ball in space. If we execute well and play as a team, we will be tough to beat. I like the unity in the team and that gives me positive feelings about the game.”
Malinga is also excited her WXV 2 debut: “I was busy with the sevens last year, so could not attend all the games played, but I did manage to go and watch a couple.
“It is a wonderful tournament where we will be measured against teams that are all better ranked than us. We need to beat them to improve our ranking, which will again place us in a better position for the draw to next year's World Cup. What more motivation do we need than that?”
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Springbok Women-revised: 15 Libbie Janse van Rensburg, 14 Jakkie Cilliers, 13 Eloise Webb, 12 Chumisa Qawe, 11 Ayanda Malinga, 10 Nadine Roos, 9 Tayla Kinsey, 8 Aseza Hele, 7 Sinazo Mcatshulwa, 6 Sizophila Solontsi, 5 Vainah Ubisi, 4 Nolusindiso Booi (captain), 3 Babalwa Latsha, 2 Roseline Botes, 1 Sanelisiwe Charlie.
Replacements: 16 Micke Gunter, 17 Yonela Ngxingolo, 18 Azisa Mkiva, 19 Danelle Lochner, 20 Catha Jacobs, 21 Anathi Qolo, 22 Unam Tose, 23 Zintle Mpupha.
Date: Friday, September 27
Venue: Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Kick-off: 16.00 (23.00 Japan time; 14.00 GMT)
Referee: Maria Latos (Germany)
Assistant referees: Precious Pazani (Zimbabwe), Ella Goldsmith (Australia)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)