The performance of the Springbok Women’s team at the Rugby World Cup – where they reached the quarter-finals for the first time – was of course a major highlight this year. The four World Cup matches became the four most-watched Springbok Women’s games ever.
In total, more than 1.27 million unique viewers have engaged with the team’s matches in 2025. A new record was also set for a single match audience with nearly half a million viewers (484,265) tuning in live to watch the quarter-final clash against the Black Ferns, marking a 135% increase on last year’s top match audience for the Springbok Women.
Other notable firsts achieved during the year for Women’s Rugby were:
- And SA Rugby also announced plans to launch an elite, fully professionalised women’s competition in 2026.
- The first U16 Elite Player Development (EPD) camp for girls was held.
- The first national championship for women’s clubs, sponsored by Betway took place.
- The most teams yet played in the U20 Women’s Week.
- The Springbok Women’s team had the full suite of sponsors on kit for the first time.
On the rise
The triumvirate of women’s events taking place simultaneously this month were the first U16 Elite Player Development (EPD) camp for girls, which ran concurrently with a similar gathering for boys in Paarl, SA Rugby also hosted the inaugural Betway Women’s Club Championship and the U20 Women’s Week in Johannesburg.
The 2025 season was hailed as a watershed year for women’s rugby in South Africa by SA Rugby president Mark Alexander.
“Our Springbok Women definitely set the tone with their performances this year,” said Mr Alexander. “But from the Women’s Premier Division early in the season to the trio of landmark events last week, 2025 has truly been a phenomenal year for women’s rugby in South Africa.
“To see our best U16 girls gather for a high-performance camp for the first time, while the top U20s and club players competed simultaneously, underlined the depth and momentum building in the women’s game.
“Women’s rugby is a strategic priority for SA Rugby and what we’ve witnessed this year – alongside the Bok Women breaking broadcast records – confirms we are on the right path.”
