By Adnaan Mohamed
The Springbok Women’s Sevens claimed the HSBC SVNS 3 title in Dubai on Sunday after an unbeaten tournament highlighted by strong defence, effective attack and disciplined teamwork, according to head coach Cecil Afrika.
South Africa topped their pool on Saturday before defeating Poland in the semi-finals and coming from behind to beat Argentina 12-5 in the final.
The victory marked Afrika’s second consecutive tournament title since taking over as coach in October, following the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Cup triumph in Nairobi in November.
“It was a great win and the players deserve all the credit – we really defended well, but our attack also proved very effective,” said Afrika.
He said the team struck the right balance between defence and attack throughout the tournament.
“Overall, I think we got the balance right at this tournament. When we needed to, we defended our line very well and when the opportunity came, we could switch to attack and scored some really nice tries.”
Afrika emphasised collective effort as key to the team’s defensive success.
“One of the keys to a successful defensive effort is for players to work hard for each other, getting back in line, getting back off the floor to get in position and to trust the system and not try things on your own.”
The Dubai title secures qualification for the HSBC SVNS 2 series, with three tournaments to follow, starting in Nairobi on 14–15 February.
Afrika also acknowledged squad members who did not travel to Dubai.
“We must also acknowledge those players who did not travel this time but are part of the squad,” he said. “They helped us with our preparation and I am happy to say we got our tactics and game analisys right also.”
The team will depart Dubai later on Sunday and arrive in Cape Town at 11:00 on Monday.
Selected stats:
Most points – Nadine Roos (54: four tries, 17 conversions)
Most tries – Maria Tshiremba (7)