South Africa Women vs Ireland Women: WXV Finale Preview, Kickoff and Result

Match status (October 30, 2026): South Africa Women and Ireland Women are scheduled to meet on Saturday, October 31, in the final match of their two-Test WXV Global Series in Cape Town. The second Test has not yet been played, so there is no confirmed October 31 final score. Ireland won the first meeting on October 24 by 40–27.

Kickoff is 3:00 p.m. in Cape Town, South African Standard Time (SAST, UTC+02:00), on October 31—equivalent to 13:00 UTC the same day. The venue is Athlone Sports Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. The official World Rugby match center for the October 31 fixture is the primary place to check the final score once the game ends.

South Africa vs. Ireland: October 31 match details

• Competition: WXV Global Series 2026, second Test between South Africa Women and Ireland Women.
• Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026.
• Venue: Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa.
• Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. SAST (UTC+02:00); 13:00 UTC; 1:00 p.m. in Ireland, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+00:00), after the October clock change.
• October 31 result: Pending; no official final score before kickoff.
• Previous Test: South Africa 27–40 Ireland on October 24, 2026.

This fixture concludes the teams' two-match visit to Cape Town, not a single-elimination championship final. South Africa Rugby confirmed both matches for October 24 and 31, and its official first-Test report documents Ireland's opening victory.

Why the rematch matters after Ireland's 40–27 win

Ireland scored six tries to South Africa's five in the opening Test and converted five of them, while South Africa converted just one. Linda Djougang crossed twice for Ireland, with other tries from Aoife Dalton, Jane Clohessy, Béibhinn Parsons and captain Erin King. South Africa's tries came through Aseza Hele, Vainah Ubisi, Maria Tshiremba, Lerato Makua and Alichia Arries.

Those numbers help explain why the score was more comfortable than the try count suggests. South Africa repeatedly found ways to reach the line, but Ireland made more of its scoring opportunities and finished strongly. For the hosts, improving handling, defensive alignment and conversion opportunities will matter as much as creating more breaks. For Ireland, a second win would complete a two-Test sweep. A South African victory would leave the two matches split one apiece.

Both teams are also finishing significant international schedules. The WXV Global Series is a cross-regional home-and-away touring competition, providing higher-level matchups without making this particular game a championship decider. SA Rugby's series announcement explains the context and confirms the Cape Town dates.

Team news and players to watch

South Africa adjust their pack and backline

South Africa's October 29 selection announcement confirmed that prop Sanelisiwe Charlie will miss the final Test after a knee injury in training. Yonela Ngxingolo moves into the starting front row, Lindelwa Gwala starts at hooker, and Catha Jacobs switches to flanker. Captain Sizophila Solontsi remains in the back row.

There are notable backline changes, too: Mary Zulu starts at flyhalf, Byrhandré Dolf shifts to fullback, Jakkie Cilliers starts on the right wing, and Alichia Arries moves to the left. The hosts will hope those changes help them control territory while retaining the attacking width that produced five tries last weekend. See the official South Africa team announcement for the full matchday 23.

Ireland retain their forwards and change two backs

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand has kept the starting pack that won the opener, including captain Erin King, Linda Djougang and Neve Jones. Niamh Gallagher comes in at fullback and Aoibheann Reilly starts at scrumhalf alongside flyhalf Dannah O'Brien. Béibhinn Parsons and Robyn O'Connor remain on the wings, while Aoife Dalton and Anna McGann continue in midfield.

Those are two changes to Ireland's starting lineup, not an overhaul. The October 29 Ireland team announcement published by Connacht Rugby also lists the substitutes and identifies TG4 Player and App coverage for the match; availability outside Ireland may differ.

An illustrative way to follow the match without mixing up the scores

Hypothetical example—not actual match events: Imagine a supporter opening a search page on Saturday and seeing “South Africa 27, Ireland 40.” The supporter could easily think that was the new result. Instead, they check the fixture date: that score belongs to October 24, not the October 31 rematch. They then open World Rugby's October 31 match center and verify the venue, kickoff and match status before reading any numbers.

Suppose the supporter wants to understand the game rather than simply record a winner. During play, they can compare tries with successful conversions, watch whether South Africa's redesigned backline creates space, and note whether Ireland's unchanged pack maintains possession. Those are questions to watch, not predictions or claims about what has happened.

At the final whistle, the same supporter checks the official result and match statistics rather than treating a halftime score, a social media screenshot or the earlier Test as the final outcome. This small verification step is especially useful when the same teams play at the same stadium on consecutive weekends.

Where to find the confirmed final score

Use the World Rugby WXV 2026 fixtures page or go directly to the October 31 South Africa–Ireland match center. Confirm that it shows Saturday, October 31, 2026, Athlone Sports Stadium and the correct teams. Rugby Australia's separate match listing for October 31 is another official competition-partner reference.

As of this pre-match update, the October 31 result is not yet available. Once play ends, the final score should be taken from a completed official match record, with any later corrections reflected in that record. Until then, Ireland's 40–27 victory on October 24 is the previous result—not the score of the season finale.