Springbok women’s Nadine Roos looking to the future after milestone Rugby World Cup performance
Nadine Roos of the Springbok women’s rugby team reflects on their historic Rugby World Cup performance, aiming to build on their progress after advancing to the knockout stage and improving their global ranking. Picture: Adrian Dennis/AFP
Image: Adrian Dennis/AFP
As one of the stars of the Springbok women who made it to the knockout stage of the Rugby World Cup for the first time, Nadine Roos is looking to build on her side’s progress.
Coming into the tournament, the Boks were ranked 12th but have improved to 10th following their wins over Italy and Brazil. Though they bowed out 46-17 to New Zealand in the quarterfinal after going into the break with the scores locked at 10-10, it was still a milestone showing for the rising Bok side.
It was a much-improved performance from their final group game in which they went down 57-10 to France, and the fact they were able to compete with the world number three Kiwis spoke volumes.
The 29-year-old is now looking to reach even greater heights in the future.
Roos Reflects on World Cup Performance and Team Contribution
“Looking back at this World Cup and the previous one, I think I can be happy with my performance and contribution to the team. The most important thing for me is how I can serve and help the team move forward,” Roos told SportsBoom.co.za
“We had so many chances in the first half — if we had taken them, it could have been a different story. But it wasn’t a runaway score. We pressured them, especially in that first half.”
One of the talking points of the tournament occurred in the match against New Zealand, when the Bok women threw all 15 of their players into the lineout.
Roos revealed how that idea came about with coach Swys de Bruin.
“Coach Swys suggested a 15-man lineout, and suddenly I was jumping!” laughed Roos. “It was hilarious — us backs were putting our heads where they’ve never been before!
“An assistant referee came up to me after the game and asked how they were supposed to officiate that maul. But it worked for us. Everyone bought into the plan.”