Springbok Women’s Sevens bounce back after Brazil setback at HSBC SVNS 2 in Nairobi

The Springbok Women’s Sevens endured a bruising start to their HSBC SVNS 2 campaign in Kenya on Saturday, losing a key player and suffering defeat to Brazil at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.

They did, however, finish day one on a high with a hard-fought victory over hosts Kenya.

Utility back Leigh Fortuin was injured in the opening minutes of a tense 14-12 win over a stubborn Spain in their first match, and the Blazeboks took time to settle after that blow..

Spain struck first, before a moment of brilliance from playmaker Nadine Roos drew South Africa level. The skipper ran the length of the field from the base of a scrum inside the SA 22 to score in the far right corner.

Liske Lategan put the Blitzboks ahead in the second half, but they were forced to dig deep to repel a late Spanish surge.

Coach Cecil Afrika’s side were then punished for a lack of cutting edge in their second outing, going down 14-0 to Brazil. The defeat ended a winning streak that began at the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens in Nairobi last year and continued through the SVNS 3 play-offs in Dubai last month.

That result set up a high-stakes clash with continental rivals and tournament hosts Kenya.

The Blitzboks started with strong attacking intent, Shanikwa Lamprecht crossing after capitalising on an overthrow at the line-out by the physical Lionesses. However, an unfortunate yellow card for Lerato Makua opened the door for Kenya’s first try. 

Back to a full complement just before half-time, speedster Maria Tshiremba sliced through the Kenyan defence to score, handing South Africa a 12-5 lead at the break and restoring momentum.

The South Africans showed impressive defensive organisation in the second half, keeping the Lionesses at bay until the closing seconds, when they scored a dramatic try. A missed conversion denied the hosts a share of the spoils, however, as the Blitzboks secured a 12-10 victory to move second in the table behind Argentina.

The SVNS second division features a round-robin format, with all six teams facing each other and no knockout stage. The final two legs will be played in Uruguay and Brazil next month. The Blitzboks are targeting a top-four finish to book their place in the elite end-of-season HSBC SVNS World Championship Series.

South Africa face China (10am SA time) and Argentina (2.12pm) on Sunday.