The Springbok Women's Sevens claimed third place in the first leg of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday, and although SA coach Renfred Dazel was satisfied with bronze, he lamented a three-minute lapse in concentration that cost them dearly against Kenya.
One of the biggest positives was the way experienced forward Rights Mkhari came through the first tournament after close to two years on the international sevens sidelines.
The 30-year-old started off the bench last weekend and it wasn’t long before the muscle memory, experience and ability to read the play kicked back in. In fact, by the end of the tournament, the Limpopo athlete was dominating contact, running through gaps and making crucial tackles as if she was never away.
“Yes, it is a good feeling being back and contributing to the team,” Mkhari said on Tuesday as the Bok Women’s Sevens team picked up their preparations for the weekend.
“It was a long time away from the game and the injuries were frustrating, as I wanted to get back onto the field to assist my team. I love nothing more than contributing in a team environment, especially with this team that work so hard to be successful.
“It went as well as I had hoped. I ticked the boxes I wanted to and having come through the four games still feeling strong and wanting more, the mental doubts also disappeared.
“I love scoring tries and although that did not happen, I am not too fussed. We are a process-driven team and if we stick to that, the ball will find me for that opportunity this weekend.”
The lanky loose forward also has her eye on the Springbok Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 squad, but that was very far of her mind on Tuesday.
“The focus is here and now and how we are going to cut out the mistakes that cost us last weekend,” said Mkhari.
“We are playing against Samoa and Poland, two very physical teams, in our pool. They would have studied our weaknesses against Kenya, where we did not defend well enough and paid the price.
“The realities of the second tournament will be that all the teams have footage on their opponents and will analyse where the weaknesses are.”
Mkhari is adamant that they can bounce back, and that process got underway at the rugby fields of the University of Cape Town on Tuesday.
“Yesterday we had our reviews, and we could see from that feedback why and where we came up short, but also where we executed and played well,” she said.
“Today on the field, we fixed those, and it was a good session with regard to that. We have another session on Thursday where we will fine-tune our prep, but I am very optimistic about the weekend.”
The pools for the weekend are:
A: Kenya, Uganda, Belgium
B: Argentina, Czechia, Hong Kong China
C: South Africa, Poland, Samoa
D: Colombia, Thailand, Mexico