Springbok Women’s Sevens Eye Uruguay Victory & World Championship Qualification | Fixtures & Squad News
South Africa’s Roos Eyes Tournament Victory in Uruguay
Montevideo, Uruguay – marks the start of a crucial tournament for the South African Women’s Sevens team as they face Spain, China, and Brazil on day one, followed by matches against Kenya and Argentina on . Captain Nadine Roos is focused on securing a win in Uruguay, a performance that will significantly bolster their chances of qualifying for the World Championships.
The team is coming off a strong showing in Kenya last month, where they finished second. Roos emphasized that while the Kenyan tournament provided valuable log points, the team is approaching this competition with a fresh mindset. “We seize nothing for granted from the Kenya tournament, only the log points,” she stated. “We edged Spain, lost to Brazil and it was only against China that we could really get a big win. So we start all over again with our mindset that of expecting the unexpected.”
Roos acknowledges the challenges posed by each opponent. Spain will be seeking revenge after a narrow defeat in Kenya, Brazil will carry the confidence of a previous victory over the South Africans, and China will be determined to avenge their loss. “Spain will feel they were close enough to overturn the result, Brazil have the confidence of beating us and China will be looking for revenge. So we are well aware that all of them will be coming for us,” Roos explained.
The immediate focus is on the opening match against Spain. “The first challenge is Spain and we are just looking at that match and what will be required for the win. Once we crossed that hurdle, we can look at the next challenge,” Roos said, highlighting a game-by-game approach.
Addressing Areas for Improvement
Recently named SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year, Roos identified areas where the team has been working to improve. “Our work-ons was in transitioning from defence to attack, we were not at our best in that aspect in Kenya,” she revealed. “Also, defence is an attitude and ours will be not to miss any tackles and put in significant hits.”
The team faced a delayed departure to South America, but Roos credited the team’s adaptability. “We adapted our training schedule, the team doctor adjusted our sleeping schedule and we accepted that the delay was out of our hands. So we arrived in a good space, had a good training session and will be ready on .”
Inspired by the Blitzboks
The delayed flight allowed the squad to witness the Blitzboks’ victory over Fiji in the final of the HSBC SVNS New York. Roos described the performance as inspiring. “The Blitzboks really inspired us – we watched the final and that was special,” she said. “The way they stayed in the fight in that last minute to keep Fiji out was true to the core of our sevens system and we want to do the same when in a similiar situation.”
Roos highlighted the importance of sticking to the system and trusting the process, drawing parallels between the Blitzboks’ success and their own aspirations. “That was a good case study of how the system will look after you if you stick to it and trust it. We want to do the same this weekend. It was a case of the winner takes it all and they had the will power to outlast Fiji.”
New Faces in the Squad
The tournament will also see the debut of Maceala Samboya and Shanidiné Bezuidenhout, adding fresh talent to the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad.
Fixtures and Squad List
Bok Women’s Sevens fixtures (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport):
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- 16h23: Spain
- 18h46: China
- 21h36: Brazil
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- 19h23: Kenya
- 22h39: Argentina
Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for Montevideo:
- #3 Patience Mokone
- #7 Maria Tshiremba
- #9 Nadine Roos (captain)
- #10 Byrhandré Dolf
- #12 Liske Lategan
- #14 Simamkele Namba
- #16 Shiniqwa Lamprecht
- #19 Shanidiné Bezuidenhout (uncapped)
- #20 Catha Jacobs
- #23 Ayanda Malinga
- #26 Lerato Makua
- #27 Maceala Samboya (uncapped)
- #28 Shannon-Lee Windvogel