Springbok Women’s Sevens coach Cecil Afrika was full of praise for his team following their second-place finish at the HSBC SVNS 2 tournament in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday, with their performances on the second day a highlight for the coach.
The Bok Women beat Spain and Kenya on day one, but were defeated by Brazil. However, they came storming back on Sunday to with victories over China and Argentina.
The South Africans are second behind Argentina on the log, with the South Americans earning a losing bonus point in their final match against the Bok Women to retain the slightest of edges as the series now moves to Montevideo and Sao Paulo next month.
The top four sides on the log at the completion of the series will qualify for the top-tier HSBC SVNS World Championship, with tournaments in Hong Kong, Spain and France.
Afrika praised his team for the fight shown and the refusal to lie down, especially against Argentina, where they needed a try in extra time to beat the team in blue and white.
“The girls really played for each other, and they showed how much that jersey means to them,” said Afrika.
“The character and fight to stay in that match and ultimately win it, was massive for us and the squad in general. I am very proud of that performance.”
Afrika lamented the slow start on Saturday, with the team also losing Leigh Fortuin with injury in the opening minutes of the first game against Spain: “We started slowly and just could not convert our opportunities on day one. Although we started with a win over Spain, it was not our best performance.
“The defeat against Brazil was a continuation of the issue of not converting our chances, but on Sunday, we took our opportunities much better, and that was pleasing. There were many learnings for us, and we have something to work on when we start preparing for the next two tournaments.”
Afrika said the format of the tournament, where each of the six teams played each other without a knock-out phase, provided good lessons.
“We all had to adapt to the change in format, and we could have been at the top, bar the bonus point Argentina gained from our match, so it is good lessons learned. We are in second position and in contention for that top four spot, so in that regard, it was mission accomplished,” Afrika said.
Selected SA stats:
Most tries:
Maria Tshiremba 4
Most points:
Nadine Roos 21 points (1 try, 8 conversions)
Standings
1 Argentina – 20 points
2 South Africa – 18 points
2 Spain – 16 points
Remaining HSBC SVNS 2 tournaments:
21-22 March: Montevideo, Uruguay
28-29 March: Sao Paulo, Brazil
