Springbok Sevens Women coach, Renfred Dazel (background) leading players in a training session.
Image: Phando Jikelo Independent Newspapers
The Springbok Women's Sevens team secured a third-place finish in the first leg of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday.
While the team celebrated their 29-0 victory over Colombia in the bronze medal match, head coach Renfred Dazel lamented a crucial three-minute lapse in concentration that led to their semi-final defeat against Kenya.
The Bok Women came out firing in their semi-final against Kenya, with crisp passing and quick movement leading to early tries from Nadine Roos and Maria Tshiremba. South Africa took a commanding 10-0 lead, seemingly in control of the match. However, a series of misfortunes swung the momentum in Kenya’s favour.
Despite being down a player due to a sin bin and another due to injury, Kenya capitalised on defensive lapses, scoring under the posts and converting to reduce the deficit. They quickly regained possession from the restart and crossed the try line again, snatching a 14-10 lead at halftime.
The second half saw Kenya extend their lead with another try, forcing South Africa to play catch-up. Despite an impactful performance off the bench from Zintle Mpupha and Rights Mkhari, a yellow card to Tshiremba further hampered South Africa's efforts. Roos managed to score her second try just as the final buzzer sounded, but it was too little, too late as Kenya advanced to the final with a 19-15 victory.
Dazel acknowledged the turning point in the match: “We started so well, but then a couple of missed tackles allowed them to break out, and suddenly we were chasing the game. Credit to the players, though, as they came back firing against Colombia.”
Determined to end the weekend on a high note, the Bok Women delivered a dominant performance against Colombia in the bronze medal match. Roos set the tone early, scoring and converting to give South Africa a 7-0 lead. Tshiremba extended the advantage just before halftime, ensuring a comfortable 12-0 lead at the break.
The second half was all South Africa, with Roos once again leading the charge. Ayanda Malinga and debutant Kayla Swarts added their names to the scoresheet, with Swarts marking her international debut with a memorable try. The final scoreline of 29-0 reflected the team’s resilience and ability to bounce back from disappointment.
Dazel praised the contributions of the two newcomers, Swarts and Alicia Willemse, who started at flyhalf in both matches. “Both got good minutes in,” he said. “I am happy that Kayla managed to score while Alicia played well too.”
While third place was not the initial goal, Dazel remains optimistic about the team’s chances in the remaining two legs of the Challenger Series. “The Challenger Series is not a sprint, rather a marathon, so you have three tournaments to make sure you are in the top four,” he explained. “Starting off in third place after the first tournament is not what we came here for, but it’s also not the end of the world. We are in the top four, and if we recover well this week, we will have another opportunity to improve that standing next weekend.”
Injury concerns could impact team selection for the upcoming matches, with Leigh Fortuin sustaining a knee strain. “We will look at our injury situation before we finalise the squad for next weekend. We will know in the morning how bad it is, and that will determine if we bring another player into the squad,” Dazel added.
With valuable lessons learnt and a strong foundation to build on, the Bok Women will be eager to improve their standing in the next leg of the series, keeping their ultimate goal of Challenger Series success within reach.
Match Results:
Semi-final: South Africa 15 (10) - Kenya 19 (14)
Tries: Nadine Roos (2), Maria Tshiremba.
Bronze medal match: South Africa 29 (12) - Colombia 0 (0)
Tries: Nadine Roos (2), Maria Tshiremba, Ayanda Malinga, Kayla Swarts. Conversions: Roos (2).
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