England won the second round of the inaugural IRB Women’s Sevens World Series in Houston following a dominant display in the final over hosts USA, while Canada repeated their group-stage results against South Africa, beating the Blitzbokke 33-0 in the tournament’s 7th / 8th place match.
England had an excellent weekend, running out 29-12 winners where they had to beat the champions from Dubai, New Zealand, twice on the way to lifting the title. Jo Watmore scored a hat-trick in the final, in a display of real power and pace, and England, led strongly by captain Alice Richardson and with Heather Fisher in sublime form, fully deserved their title.
USA were in many ways surprise finalists, having failed to reach the quarter-final stages in the first round of the series in Dubai. But inspired by their home fans and their skipper Vanesha McGee and talismanic Nathalie Marchino, they were outstanding over the two days.
England coach Barry Maddocks said: “I am very proud of the girls. It’s been a really tough few days. It was hard playing the same teams on the second day but we came through it really well. It was a great final. USA wanted to play and it was an exciting game for everyone watching.”
Fisher, who was named player of the tournament, expressed her delight afterwards. “That final could have involved any one of the top eight sides because there is very little between everyone.”
“This is a fantastic result for us and a platform us to build on for the next few months heading into the Rugby World Cup Sevens (in June). It means the world to us. It was really tough to have to play New Zealand and Netherlands twice but we treated every game like it was the final and that’s the attitude we took into each one.”
USA captain Vanesha McGee was also pleased with her side’s display. She said: “We are happy with our progress from Dubai. We wanted to win but we are only going to get better from here. The home crowd was amazing for us and they definitely inspired us as well.”
“We have improved a lot in the last few months. We have a bit more to grow but if we keep doing that we will be steam-rolling by the time we get to the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow. There is nothing between the top eight sides – everyone is so tight. We are all fighting in every game but we really enjoyed this competition and being at home was a lot of fun.”
Houston marked round two of the series, which is set to take place in a total of four global destinations this season (the others being Guangzhou, China, and Amsterdam, Netherlands), underscoring the IRB’s commitment to the ongoing growth and development of women’s Rugby around the world.
As the series is bound to grow over coming seasons, it is another significant step in the journey towards the sport’s readmission to the Olympic Games programme in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
South Africa Results at the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series Cup Quarter-Finals in Houston, Texas, on 1 February, 2013 (Click here to read the day 1 report): 2 Feb: Canada 33 – 0 South Africa (7th / 8th) 2 Feb: Russia 20 – 0 South Africa (Plate SF) 2 Feb: Australia 17 – 12 South Africa (QF) 1 Feb: South Africa 14 – 24 Canada 1 Feb: South Africa 19 – 22 United States 1 Feb: South Africa 27 – 0 Argentina Standings after Round 2 in Houston: 1. New Zealand – 34 2. Australia – 30 3. England – 28 4. Russia – 24 4. South Africa – 24 6. United States – 22 7. Canada – 18 8. Netherlands – 16 8. Spain – 16 10. Brazil – 5 The SA Women’s Sevens Squad for the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series, in Houston: 1. Yolanda Meiring (Blue Bulls) 2. Mandisa Williams (Border, captain) 3. Nwabisa Ngxatu (Border) 4. Sinazo Nobele (Border) 5. Nosiphiwo Goda (Border) 6. Fundiswa Plaatjie (Border) 7. Zenay Jordaan (Eastern Province) 8. Phumeza Gadu (Eastern Province) 9. Natasha Hofmeester (Western Province) 10. Belle Makwezele (Western Province) 11. Zaandre Theron (Western Province) 12. Mathrin Simmers (Southwestern Districts) IRB Women’s Sevens World Series: Round 1 – UAE: Dubai, 30 Nov – 1 Dec (Winners – NZ, runners-up SA) Round 2 – USA: Houston, Texas, 1-2 Feb (Winners – Eng, runners-up USA) Round 3 – China: Guangzhou, 30-31 Mar 2013 – Guangzhou University Town Stadium Round 4 – Netherlands: Amsterdam, 17-18 May 2013 – NRCA Stadium
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