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South Africa vs the USA to be streamed on RugbyPass TV
On 30th March South Africa and the USA will compete in a Test match at Trailfinders Sports Club in Ealing.
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The fixture will be streamed on RugbyPass TV, kicking off in London at 13:00 GMT. Watch it live here.
Many players in both the South Africa and USA teams call England home during the rugby season, with international talent dispersed across the Premiership Women’s Rugby league.
Most notably, USA captain Kate Zackary and South Africa hooker Lindelwa Gwala play for PWR side Trailfinders Women, who are hosting the fixture. Zackary said:
“We are looking forward to our first test match of 2024. Since the last World Cup we’ve experienced a few hurdles, but we’ve also had a number of support systems to help along the way. This weekend though, we start fresh and we have our first opportunity to compete under our new coaches and staff who bring a lot of experience.
“South Africa is not only a physical team, but a team that has seen immense improvement in the past year and I believe they’re building something special.
“Having a match of this calibre is critical to our preparations for the Pacific Four Series in April, where we will also have our first shot at World Cup qualification.
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“On a personal note though, this weekend will be an exciting opportunity to play an international match at my home club here in England, and face off against a fellow Trailfinder, Lindelwa Gwala.”
🇿🇦 ? 🇺🇸
This weekend Trailfinders Sports Club hosts a HUGE Women’s international between South Africa and USA! 🔥
💪 Catch Trailfinders stars Kate Zackary and Lindelwa Gwala run out for their countries on Saturday at 1 pm!
Tickets below. 👇#TFW 🟢⚪️
— Trailfinders Women (@TrailfindersW) March 26, 2024
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The match is the first for the USA Eagles in 2024, and the final part of a European training and match series for the Springboks Women.
Having already taken part in training sessions with Scotland and Wales, the travelling South African side went on to beat Spain 15-13 on Saturday 23 March.
They head to London to face the USA at Trailfinders Sports Club, the final destination on their tour before they take part in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in May.
Taking place in Madagascar, the competition is an official qualifier for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 with the highest-placed team earning a place in the competition.
The defending champions secured their place in last year’s WXV 2 competition with their first-place finish and will face Cameroon, Kenya, and hosts Madagascar again this year in search of a place at RWC2025.
In addition, a first-place finish at the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup will again secure a place at WXV 2, which will be held in South Africa for a second year.
Louis Koen has tweaked the #BokWomen team to face the USA in their last tour match before defending their African title in May – more here: https://t.co/NbkPG9xTk6 🔀#MakeItCount #ETTIG pic.twitter.com/1JZcAe9egJ
— SA Women’s Rugby (@WomenBoks) March 27, 2024
The USA will go on to compete in the Pacific Four Series, where they host the opening match against continental rivals Canada on 28th April at Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, before travelling to New Zealand and Australia for their remaining two matches in May.
For the USA, qualification for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 is up for grabs. Given New Zealand and Canada have already secured their place at the RWC as a result of reaching the semi-finals of the last edition, held in 2022, there is a qualification place remaining for Australia or the USA from the Series with whichever team finishes the highest booking their ticket to England 2025.
In addition, the Pacific Four Series will also determine which teams from the competition compete in which levels of WXV later in the year. As with last year, the top three teams will join the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations in WXV 1 in Canada, while the fourth-placed team will compete in WXV 2.
