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The Springbok Women’s Sevens were in impressive form on the opening day of the second tournament in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, with a commanding 45-5 win over Samoa in their first pool game before outplaying Poland 43-0 to top Pool C and qualify for the semi-finals on Saturday.
They will meet Czechia for a place in the final at 14h56. The other semi-final is between Kenya, last weekend’s winners, and Colombia (15h18).
For a second consecutive weekend, the South Africans started well, looking focussed and smooth on attack. They scored three first half tries for a 21-0 lead at the break, followed by four more in the second half.
Samoa were largely outgunned by South Africa’s pace, but did breach the green and gold defensive line once, when Machiko Silila Fepuleai ran strongly down the touchline to score.
Rights Mkhari opened the scoring with a lovely run down left, followed shortly by Nadine Roos, who raced through the heart of the Samoan defence to score. Zintle Mpupha got the third try before the halftime buzzer, with Roos converting all three.
The second half delivered more of the same. Roos and Mpupha added to their tally before Fepuleai got over the line to make it 33-5.
Two more tries, by Ayanda Malinga and Shiniqwa Lamprecht, followed, with Alicia Willemse kicking the conversion for her first international points.
A swarming defensive effort rattled the Poles in the opening stages of the second match, forcing the European side into handling errors. The Bok Women capitalised on this with structured play from set phases and set moves.
Roos and Maria Tshiremba scored in the opening five minutes, with both tries coming from good, flowing attacks, before Roos added her second five-pointer just before the break to hand her side a 19-0 lead.
The second half was another masterclass on attack, again with Roos instrumental at pivot. She combined nicely with Zintle Mpupha to rush the latter through a gap and a strong finish, before Tshiremba bagged a second try, which came from a South African scrum option and some solid passing found the flying winger in space.
Roos then got her hat-trick and converted for a match tally of 23 points before Malinga got her second try of the day.
South Africa Results for Day 1 of Round 2 of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 at the Athlone Stadium on Friday, 7 March
South Africa 45 – 5 Samoa
South Africa 43 – 0 Poland
Scorers
South Africa 45 (21), Samoa 5 (0)
South Africa – Tries: Rights Mkhari, Nadine Roos (2), Zintle Mpupha (2), Shiniqwa Lamprecht, Ayanda Malinga
Conversions: Roos (4), Alicia Willemse
Samoa – Try: Machiko Silila Fepuleai
South Africa 43 (19), Poland 0 (0)
South Africa – Tries: Nadine Roos (3), Maria Tshiremba (2), Zintle Mpupha, Ayanda Malinga
Conversions: Roos (4)
Medal Match Fixtures for Day 2 of Round 2 of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 at the Athlone Stadium on Saturday, 8 March
14h56: South Africa v Czechia
15h18: Kenya v Colombia
Springbok Women Sevens Squad for the Second Round of the Challenger 2025 Tournament
#1 Leigh Fortuin
#4 Zintle Mpupha
#6 Felicia Jacobs
#7 Maria Tshiremba
#8 Kayla Swarts
#9 Nadine Roos
#10 Mathrin Simmers (captain)
#13 Kemisetso Baloyi
#16 Shiniqwa Lamprecht
#23 Ayanda Malinga
#27 Alicia Willemse
#29 Rights Mkhari
Original Copy: SA Rugby Communications, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: The Bok Women’s Sevens impressed on Day 1 of the Round 2 in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025, with commanding wins over Samoa and Poland top Pool C to qualify for Saturday’s semi-finals, at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Friday, 7 March, 2025. All Photos: World Rugby / Zach Franzen Photo
Photo 2 Caption: Zintle Mpupha scored three of South Africa’s tries on Friday, second best pants accumulator for South African scoring behind Nadine Roos.
Photo 3 Caption: SA will meet Czechia for a place in the final at 14h56 on Saturday, Kenya in the second semi-final against Colombia at 15h18.
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