The Lionesses finished second in the World Cup Qualifiers held at the Bosman Stadium in Brakpan, South Africa after suffering a 39-0 defeat to South Africa’s Women Boks.
However, the World Cup journey is not yet over for the Lionesses who face the winner of the South American qualifier in a play-off match with the victor heading to the global repechage that will determine the final qualifier. The Lionesses did put up a spirited fight for the better part of the encounter but it was not enough to hold off the Boks who exploited the little cracks spotted in the defense.
Women Boks settled early into the match landing four tries in the opening 30 minutes of the match with two conversions successfully splitting the posts. The last ten minutes the Lionesses defense had doubled, denying the Boks any try scoring opportunity and at the same time, their attacking pace saw them make several visits to the opponents half but were unable to convert it to any points for 24-0 half time score
The hosts landed three tries in the second half, neither of them being successfully converted for a 39-0 full time score.
The Lionesses beat Madagascar 35-5 in their opening fixture on Friday 9th August before securing their second win on 13th August over Uganda Lady Cranes, beating them 35-5.
