Two of Spain’s three tries came after the Imbokodo conceded penalties – one of which led to a yellow card for Sizo Solontsi – while their third, late in the first half, was scored after sustained pressure in the SA 22.

But Paul Delport’s team grew in confidence throughout the tournament and deserve credit for never giving up and making life difficult for Spain when they had ball in hand, although they would have learnt some valuable lessons on defence and at the breakdowns.

Nadine Roos and Zenay Jordaan were again in great form on attack, and Liske Lategan made an immediate impact when she scored a great try down the left-hand touchline after coming on as a replacement for Meghan Phillips.

Unfortunately, the Imbokodo – who finished 10^th overall out of 12 teams – failed to win any of their games at the Cape Town Stadium, but the women will be richer for the experience of playing against core teams on the World Series, in front of their home fans, who cheered them on every inch of the way.

Scorers:

South Africa 7 (0) – Try: Liske Lategan. Conversion: Nadine Roos.

Spain 19 (12) – Tries: Barbara Pla, Olivia Fresneda, Patricia Garcia. Conversions: Garcia (2).