Rugby: Springbok Women close European tour by shutting out Spain 20-0 in Seville

The Springbok Women concluded their European tour with a clean 20-0 victory over Spain on October 4, 2026, at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville, as part of the WXV Global Series. The South Africans thus secured two consecutive wins to wrap up their trip, and a seventh in a row against the Leonas, according to SA Rugby Magazine.

Three tries made the difference. Catha Jacobs got the South Africans off to a flying start in the first quarter of an hour, before a Jakkie Cilliers penalty brought the score to 10-0 at the break. In the second half, Aseza Hele and then Cilliers herself, on the wing, added two more tries. Cilliers finished with two conversions and a penalty kick.

A shutout that speaks to their strength

The most telling result is perhaps the one in the Spanish column: zero. The Leonas did, however, set up camp on the South African try line several times without ever managing to score, reports Rugby365. The South African scrum dominated and the defense held firm, even in the tightest sequences, with the Spanish resistance eventually breaking after a yellow card.

The feat is all the more notable given that South Africa played shorthanded. Captain Babalwa Latsha, an iconic prop of African women's rugby, left the field early with an ankle injury. Her replacement, Nombuyekezo Mdliki, was stretchered off before, in a rare turn of events, returning to the game. In this context, young Patience Mokone held her own in her first start, and fly-half Byrhandré Dolf confirmed her current form.

African women's rugby is gaining ground

The WXV Global Series is the tier of international women's competition that World Rugby designed to ensure nations outside the very top tier have regular matches against opponents of a comparable level. This is exactly what African women's rugby needs: not isolated matches every two years, but a calendar that allows for building a squad, developing starters like Mokone, and establishing core players.

South Africa remains the continental locomotive in the discipline today, and its performances serve as a showcase for a women's rugby scene that is becoming structured elsewhere on the continent, from Kenya to Madagascar and Uganda. A tour wrapped up with two victories and an undefeated defense in Seville: the signal sent by the Springbok Women is clear.