Uruguay Tournament a Key Step Towards World Championship Qualification

Montevideo, Uruguay – The Springbok Women’s Sevens team is gearing up for a crucial tournament in Uruguay, facing tough competition from Spain, China and Brazil. A strong performance is vital as they aim to secure qualification for the World Championships.

The team, fresh off a second-place finish in the opening tournament in Kenya last month, is focused on maintaining momentum and securing a spot among the four qualifying teams. Another successful showing will position them well ahead of the final qualifying tournament in Brazil next weekend.

Captain Roos Sets Ambitious Goals

Captain Nadine Roos has set a clear objective for the team: Without getting ahead of ourselves, the goal is to walk away winners from this tournament,” she stated from Uruguay.

Roos emphasized the importance of taking each match as it comes, acknowledging the challenges posed by their opponents. We accept nothing for granted from the Kenya tournament, only the log points. We edged Spain, lost to Brazil and it was only against China that we could really get a massive win. So we start all over again with our mindset that of expecting the unexpected. she explained.

Opponents Prepared for Rematch

The Springbok Women’s Sevens are anticipating a fierce challenge from all three teams. Roos noted that Spain will be looking to avenge a narrow defeat, Brazil will be confident after their previous victory, and China will be seeking revenge. 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.

The immediate focus is on their 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, People can look at the next challenge. Roos added.

Focus on Improvement and Team Spirit

Recent training at the Stellenbosch base has focused on improving the team’s transition from defense to attack, an area identified for improvement after the Kenya tournament. Roos also stressed the importance of a strong defensive attitude: Defence is an attitude and ours will be not to miss any tackles and put in significant hits.

Despite a delayed departure to South America, the team has adapted well. 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 Saturday. Roos said.

The team was also inspired by the recent victory of the Blitzboks over Fiji in the HSBC SVNS New York final. The Blitzboks really inspired us – we watched the final and that was special,” Roos commented. 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.

New Caps Samboya and Bezuidenhout

Maceala Samboya and Shanidiné Bezuidenhout are in line to produce their debuts for the Springbok Women’s Sevens this weekend.

Fixtures (SA Times)

• Saturday, March 21
• 16h23: vs. Spain
• 18h46: vs. China
• 21h36: vs. Brazil
• Sunday, March 22
• 19h23: vs. Kenya
• 22h39: vs. Argentina

Squad List

• #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