The Springbok Women’s Sevens team kicked off the second World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 tournament at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Friday with a 45-5 win over Samoa and followed that up with a 43-0 win over Poland.
They booked a place in Saturday's Cup semi-final with the dominant displays.
For a second consecutive weekend, the South Africans started well, looking focused and slick on attack. They scored three first-half tries against Samoa 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.
Rights Mkhari opened the scoring with a lovely run down the 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, as Roos and Mpupha added to their tally before Machiko Silila Fepuleai replied for Somoa.
Two more tries, by Ayanda Malinga and Shiniqwa Lamprecht followed, with Alicia Willemse kicking the conversion for her first international points.
The Bok Women maintained their intensity and slick interplay in the game against Poland. It was Roos who opened the scoring for SA this time, with the first of her three tries. Maria Tshiremba scored twice, while Mpupha and Malinga also got on the scoresheet again for coach Renfred Dazel's team.
"It was great wins for us. I think the girls went back to the drawing board after last weekend. We just stuck to what the coach asked of us – to stay in the moment and actually play the plan that they gave us," skipper Mathrin Simmers said afterwards.
"I think we played pretty good as a team, just to be consistent and always building on every set phase, every defence. I think we jelled well as a team.
"Special shout out to our forwards. They're pretty physical and they actually gave us nice momentum going forward in both games. We quite needed it last week, which we didn't have. But this weekend we had a new approach – starting with the more experienced forwards, so just working into that.
"And in the backs we have Nadine (Roos), who can score from anywhere on the field."
Czechia's shock win over Argentina set up a rematch between South Africa and the side they beat in last weekend's first tournament at the same venue, in Saturday's Cup semi-final.
"It's just for us to go back and look at the game, how we played against them last weekend and just keep being in their faces, be physical, be great in our ball carries and dominate on defence to put them under pressure. I think then we should be able to pull off the win," Simmers added.
Last week's winners Kenya and Colombia meet in the other Cup semi-final on Saturday.
South Africa 45, Samoa 5
SA – Tries: Rights Mkhari, Nadine Roos (2), Zintle Mpupha (2), Shiniqwa Lamprecht, Ayanda Malinga. Conversions: Nadine Roos (4), Alicia Willemse.
Samoa – Try: Machiko Silila Fepuleai.
South Africa 43, Poland 0
SA – Tries: Nadine Roos (3), Zintle Mpupha, Maria Tshiremba (2), Ayanda Malinga. Conversions: Nadine Roos (4)
Springbok Women Sevens ace Nadine Roos has been in excellent try-scoring form for the team at the Challenger Series at Athlone Stadium. She scored two tries against Samoa and a hat-trick in the demolition of Poland on Friday.
Image: Zach Franzen / World Rugby
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