Overview
- SA Rugby confirmed on Monday that Ireland will play two Tests at Cape Town’s Athlone Stadium on October 24 and October 31 as part of the WXV Global Series.
- The Ireland series rounds out a busy 2026 home calendar that already includes two Tests against the USA in July and a match with New Zealand’s Black Ferns in September.
- Springbok Women head coach Swys de Bruin said the fixtures are a key step up for the squad as they seek regular top‑eight opposition, and Ireland coach Scott Bemand has confirmed his team will tour Cape Town.
- De Bruin named a training group to prepare for the July USA matches that recalls most of the 2025 World Cup core but notes the retirement of Nolusindiso Booi and long‑term injuries to Nadine Roos and Sinazo Mcatshulwa while adding sevens standout Maria Tshiremba.
- The WXV Global Series is a home‑and‑away model that brings the world’s top 12 teams together to give emerging sides like South Africa repeated high‑quality tests, a structure expected to build depth, match experience and pathways ahead of the next World Cup.