Are you going to support the women this Saturday? Leopards Women welcome SWD EaGirls and Potch Dorp’s champions will be on show
- Karen Scheepers
- Jul 10
- 3 min read
Hometown pride meets provincial ambition
This Saturday, 12 July at Olën Park, the Leopards Senior Women collide with the SWD EaGirls in a First-Division showdown that already feels like a semi-final. The fixture is extra-charged for Potchefstroom, because a sizeable chunk of the Leopards match-day 23 comes straight from the Potchefstroom Dorp Rugby Club, fresh winners of the 2025 Carien Broodryk League. Their league-title momentum could be the spark the Leopards need to avenge last year’s final defeat and stay on course for promotion.
A rivalry renewed
Last season’s storyline – Both sides swept through 2024 with free-scoring form, posting runaway victories before colliding in an intense final sarugby.co.za.
Why this one matters – The result could decide home-ground advantage come play-off time and set the psychological tone for the rest of the competition.
Key match-ups – Keep an eye on Leopards finishers Baby Plaatjies and Kagisho Miggels (five tries between them in last year’s semi-final) and SWD’s dynamic play-maker Shannon Lee Windvogel
Potch Dorp power, players to watch
Position | Player | Why she matters | Club connection |
Loose-head prop | Nadine van Reenen | Anchors the scrum; 85 % tackle success in league play | Potch Dorp |
Hooker | Jessica Boniswa | Line-out darts rarely miss; scored a hat-trick vs Mmabatho | Potch Dorp |
Lock | Lizzy Abrams | 1.88 m line-out target and maul engine | Potch Dorp |
Flank | Martha Yokwane | Breakdown thief with 4 pilfers in league final | Potch Dorp |
No. 8 | Teddy Gatyana | Ball-carrying metres leader in Carien Broodryk League | Potch Dorp |
Scrum-half | Katlego Pomane | Quickest pass in the squad; dictates tempo | Potch Dorp |
Fly-half | Kiara Sada | 78 % goal-kicking accuracy this season | Potch Dorp |
Centre | Lenesh Plaatjies | Midfield enforcer; 19 clean breaks in league campaign | Potch Dorp |
Bench-impact to expect: Lara de Wet (utility forward), Portia Khumalo (power winger) and Michelle Booysen (defensive full-back), all league winners itching for provincial caps.
Understanding the Women’s First Division
South Africa’s First Division is the springboard to the Premier Division and soon-to-launch professional Women’s Super League Rugby (WSLR), which SA Rugby intends to kick off next year, contracting up to 150 players. Seven provincial unions contest a single round of league matches before semi-finals and the final Springboks Rugby. With SuperSport committed to broadcasting at least one game per round, visibility and pressure, has never been higher.
Rules refresher – the same game, full throttle
80-minute matches split into two 40-minute halves, identical to the men’s game KITT.
15-a-side on a regulation-size pitch; scrums, line-outs and breakdown laws all mirror the global Laws of the Game.
Minor differences are administrative (e.g., maternity provisions) rather than on-field law variations rugbyroar.com.
Why your support matters
Explosive growth – World Rugby counts 2.7 million female players worldwide, a 28 % surge since 2017 World Rugby.
National pathway – SA Rugby’s push toward a professional league will only succeed if fans, sponsors and broadcasters see tangible community support at provincial level.
Local heroes, global dreams – North West athletes like the Leopards’ Verana van Heerden and Teddy Gatyana are chasing Springbok Women caps; a loud crowd helps selectors take notice.
Economic impact – Match-day revenue and media exposure funnel back into junior girls’ programmes, coaching clinics and club infrastructure. Your ticket is an investment.
Match-day details
Venue: Olën Park, Potchefstroom (home of the Leopards since 1920)
Date: Saturday 12 July 2025
Kick-off: (official time TBC – follow @LeopardsWRugby on social media for updates)
Broadcast: SuperSport app/streaming; check electronic programme guide.
Image: Leopards Rugby Woman
Bring the noise
Saturday isn’t just another provincial clash; it’s the meeting point of community success and national aspiration. Cheer for the green-and-red of the Leopards, roar for the blue-and-white of Potch Dorp within them, and add your voice to a global movement that’s rewriting rugby history one try at a time.
See you on the Eastern Terrace, let’s make Olën Park shake.
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