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FNB backs the Springbok Women’s team

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South African rugby has been enjoying a purple patch in recent weeks. The Blitzboks claimed the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, the Springboks produced a crushing victory over arch-rivals the All Blacks in the opening match of the Rugby Championship, while the Women’s national team recorded their first victory on foreign soil against Japan two weeks ago.

Capitalising on that momentum, the South African Rugby Union has confirmed that they have partnered with FNB as a sponsor of the Springbok women’s team.

The Springbok Women fought back from a game down, to tie their two-match series against the Japanese, winning the second test 20-10.

The team has been fittingly rewarded for their courageous performance, with FNB now providing some much-needed support.

“It just alleviates a lot of pressure on the players because they had to do it all on their own. I will mention an example of a couple of players who have to travel 100kms in and out for training. They pay a lot of money to play this game and they are determined to do well. Having a big brand like FNB behind this team you can see the stress that has been relieved not to worry about transport is massive,” says coach Stanley Raubenheimer.

Spain test series

South Africa will host Spain in a two-match Test series – before travelling to New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup in October.

Having a major sponsor in their corner is not only a necessary boost for them financially, but it will also cultivate the belief that they can perform on the world stage and be rewarded just like their male counterparts.

“For us, it’s something that is taking time. It is getting better day by day there is a process there showing that we are getting better. We will be equal as time goes by because we have professional players on the system now and things change,” says captain Nolusindiso Booi.

SA Rugby has laid down the gauntlet to corporate South Africa- challenging them to get involved in the women’s game.

“We cannot do this and grow the game on our own, we need sponsors. A lot has been said over the last two weeks about women’s sport and where it should go. It’s not a lot of corporates who support the women’s game not just in SA but worldwide. We are urging other corporates to get involved in the women’s game it is a very important component of society considering that women are the architects of the country and if that’s true, we need to support women’s sport,” says SA Rugby president, Mark Alexander.

The Springbok Women’s first clash against the Spanish is at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon and will serve as the curtain raiser to the Rugby Championship clash between the Springboks and New Zealand, later that evening.

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