The Springbok Women's Sevens are gearing up for a final flourish in the HSBC SVNS 2 in Brazil this weekend, having booked their place at the SVNS World Championship.
Image: @WomenBoks on X
The Springbok Women’s Sevens are ready to hit the ground running at the final HSBC SVNS 2 tournament in Sao Paulo this weekend, free from the jetlag that disrupted last week’s opener in Montevideo.
A late arrival and long-haul travel to Uruguay contributed to a narrow 15-14 loss to Spain and a third-place finish after defeat to Argentina.
This weekend, the circumstances are far more favourable. Head coach Cecil Afrika’s squad has been settled in Brazil since Monday, giving them time to recover, analyse their game, and prepare carefully for the series finale.
With World Championship qualification already secured, the Bok Women are more relaxed and promise to play with more freedom. Playmaker Byrhandré Dolf says the difference in preparation could be decisive.
“Last week in Montevideo, we arrived halfway through the week and had to deal with jetlag and a different time zone. It made things tougher for our first games,” she said.
“Here in Sao Paulo, we’ve had more time to analyse our performances and work on small gremlins in training. Each player has reviewed their own game, and we’ve studied our opponents carefully. We’ll be ready from the first whistle.”
Saturday's opening match against Spain will be followed by matches against Kenya and Brazil, before finishing on Sunday against Argentina and China. With World Championship qualification already secured, Dolf says the squad can play with confidence and focus on cohesion and execution.
“Being stress-free is huge for us. We know where we’re heading, and now we can use this tournament to prepare for the higher standards of the World Championship,” Dolf said.
“Another tournament under our belts makes us stronger as a squad and more cohesive in our performance. We are stronger together, and this weekend is another opportunity to show that.”
Leading try-scorer Maria Tshiremba is being rested due to a minor niggle, giving others the chance to step up.
Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for Sao Paulo: 2. Asisipho Plaatjies, 3. Patience Mokone, 9. Nadine Roos (captain), 10. Byrhandré Dolf, 12. Liske Lategan, 14. Simamkele Namba, 16. Shiniqwa Lamprecht, 19. Shanidiné Bezuidenhout, 20. Catha Jacobs, 23. Ayanda Malinga, 26. Lerato Makua, 27. Maceala Samboya, 28. Shannon-Lee Windvogel.