Springbok Women Sevens stay grounded after Africa Cup rout as hard work starts now

The Springbok Women’s Sevens are refusing to get carried away by their near-flawless display in the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Cup in Nairobi, where they outplayed hosts and main contenders Kenya in Sunday’s final to defend their continental title and maintain an unbeaten record in the competition.

“This is the first step in the right direction for us. Now we are going to recover and refocus for the SVNS Division 3, where we want to qualify for Division 2 and get back into the global series,” skipper Nadine Roos said after the victorious campaign in Nairobi, where the team scored 214 points without conceding a single point.

Roos (48) scored the most points for the team and was also named player of the final. Maria Tshiremba (7), Simamkele Namba (6) and Patience Mokone (6) were the top try-scorers.

The 22-0 victory in the decider was a measure of revenge for the crucial defeat the Lionesses inflicted on the Bok Women in the Los Angeles play-offs in May, which took Kenya into Division 2 and left South Africa fighting for a place in Division 3.

“The players really deserve the credit; they put in such hard work and the results were a welcome reward for that,” said head coach Cecil Afrika.

“We came here to defend our title, but also to qualify for the Challenger 3 tournament, which we managed to do. So, it is mission accomplished.”

“The ball is now in our court. We must make sure that once we get to Dubai, we make use of that opportunity and qualify for SVNS Division 2.

"We know it’s not going to be easy. There’s a lot of work lying ahead for us, and with the festive season coming up, that’s going to be challenging, so we need to stay disciplined and work hard for each other.”

Afrika said the next phase of their rebuilding will get under way next week.

“Next up is the international invitational tournament in Dubai in two weeks’ time, as part of the Emirates Dubai Sevens. The focus will now move to that. We will name some players in that squad who are still developing, as we need to broaden the base for the Challenger 3 tournament in January, which will also take place in Dubai,” he added.

“I believe we will have good internal competition inside the squad to make it to that big one in Dubai next year.”

Both the coach and skipper stressed the importance of the squad’s bond and fighting spirit, traits they will need in abundance as they chase their ultimate goal of returning to the world series.