Springbok Women’s Sevens Secure Seventh Africa Cup Title, Challenger Series Berth at UG

The Springbok Women’s Sevens team emerged victorious at the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens tournament in Accra, Ghana, defeating Kenya 19-10 in the final. The match was said to have taken place at the University of Ghana rugby stadium. 

This win marked their seventh Africa Cup title and secured qualification for the World Rugby Challenger Series next year. Coach Renfred Dazel praised his team’s effort, saying, “It was not easy – conditions were tough out there and although we made it look easy at times in some of the pool games, it was far from that.”

 He highlighted the squad’s adaptability, particularly the six players making their Africa Cup debut. 

Dazel noted the significance of this win, stating, “We needed to do well here to qualify for the Challenger Series next year, so it was the job done successfully.”

He looks forward to building on this foundation for the rest of the season. 

Captain Mathrin Simmers echoed Dazel’s sentiments, noting that the team needed a confidence boost after losing their spot in the HSBC SVNS Series. 

“The fact that we could come here and showed everyone that we are still the champions of Africa was good for our confidence,” Simmers said. 

Simmers commended her team’s resilience in the final, particularly after receiving two yellow cards. 

“We did ourselves no favours with the two yellow cards. Kenya is tough enough to play with full numbers and to play them with only six players at times was a tough ask, but we showed great character and endurance.” 

The Springbok Women’s Sevens demonstrated impressive dominance throughout the tournament, and scored 18 tries on the first day and 17 on day two, while conceding only two tries in their six matches. Nadine Roos led the scoring with 81 points. 

Alongside South Africa, Kenya and Uganda also secured qualification for the Challenger Series.