The Springbok Women’s Sevens concluded their Cathay HSBC SVNS World Championship campaign at the Hong Kong Sports Park in Hong Kong on Sunday, 19 April, 2026, finishing in 12th place overall after a gruelling three-day tournament that exposed both their potential and the gaps they must bridge to regain core team status.
The tournament began with a harsh reality check on Friday as the Springbok Women’s Sevens were outplayed 33-0 by Australia and 31-0 by Canada in their Pool B fixtures, a difference in pace and intensity from SVNS 2 forcing them onto a steep learning curve. The South Africans came into the tournament missing several injured regulars and the lack of cohesion was clear, especially on defence, where their alignment often resulted in overlaps for their opponents to exploit.
In their opening match against Australia, the Springbok Women’s Sevens defended well at times but were their own worst enemies on attack. Every time South Africa had the ball, they found a way to lose possession and against a team like Australia, it proved fatal. The set piece from South Africa worked well, with their lineout and scrums solid, but defending the Australian set piece proved a tough task. Australia scored three tries in the opening half for a 19-0 lead and two more in the second half, where the Bok Women showed glimpses of adapting to the pace of the top tier.
Against Canada in their second fixture of the day, the North Americans scored three tries in quick succession and added another five-pointer just before the break to lead 24-0, but some good rugby in the second half by the Bok Women gave them much more parity. The lack of finishing was evident and the inability to get strike runner Maria Tshiremba into space meant that South Africa could not score any points on day one. The Springbok Women’s Sevens also lost Asisipho Plaatjies to an ankle injury against Canada.
Despite the disappointment of day one, the Springbok Women’s Sevens team showed considerable character on Saturday to finish their Pool B fixtures on a strong note, beating Great Britain, one of the core teams in the HSBC SVNS Series, by 19-5 at the Hong Kong Sports Park. This result saw them finish third in their pool, though they ultimately missed out on a potential quarter-final berth to Spain, who had a better points difference over the two days.
In their Pool B decider, Great Britain scored first for a 5-0 lead, but the Bok Women started to hit their straps. Maria Tshiremba scorched away from 60 metres out for her first try, before lovely interplay with Eloise Webb resulted in her second. Lerato Makua then galloped clear to seal the match, with Byrhandré Dolf converting twice. The victory marked a significant turnaround in fortunes and suggested the team had found their rhythm at last.
However, the momentum proved short-lived. The South Africans then faced Great Britain again in the ninth-place semi-final later on Saturday, but this time the Bok Women lost 19-14 in a match decided by early adversity. The big difference in this result was an early first half red card against Lerato Makua, resulting in the South Africans playing with six players for 10 minutes. At that stage, Great Britain had a 7-0 lead, but credit to Cecil Afrika’s troops who refused to lie down. They crept back into the game with two well-worked tries by Shanidiné Bezuidenhout and Maria Tshiremba, with Byrhandré Dolf converting twice.
Trailing 14-19, Ayanda Malinga was held up over the line in what could have been the match winner, only to be denied as Great Britain could escape a second defeat against South Africa. The loss set up a final match against Argentina for 11th place, but with Lerato Makua suspended and Asisipho Plaatjies ruled out due to injury, the Springbok Women’s Sevens would take to the field on Sunday with a considerably depleted squad.
Any hopes the Bok Women had of finishing their tournament campaign on a positive note were dashed on Sunday when Argentina outplayed them 25-10 in what proved to be a disappointing conclusion to their three-day World Championship debut. Argentina have now beaten their South African counterparts three times in a row, their ability to keep the ball in hand and attack isolated defenders working wonders. Some defensive efforts by the Bok Women were also meek, to say the least, with the South Americans’ three first half tries all coming from constructive play and handing them a commanding 15-0 lead at the break.
The Bok Women worked their way back into the game in the second half and it was clear that they needed the first points to get back into the match. This came when leading strike weapon Maria Tshiremba ran onto a kick by Eloise Webb and scored, but the South Africans then messed up the restart and Argentina could score their fourth try. Adjusting their attack to what was working, Zintle Mpupha scored next following another long kick ahead. The original bounce missed Tshiremba, but Mpupha was there to follow up her own kick and she dotted down, giving the team a glimmer of hope. That was dashed though as Argentina kept control of the ball for the last minute and on the buzzer, scored their fifth try to complete a dominating win.
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The result means the Springbok Women’s Sevens finished in 12th spot overall and now has a mountain to climb in the remaining two HSBC SVNS World Championship events in Spain and France if they want to finish in the top eight and regain core status for next season. Credit to the squad for their efforts though, who kept on trying despite the setbacks, and the tournament will serve as invaluable learning for the challenges that lie ahead.
Cathay HSBC SVNS World Championship campaign at the Hong Kong Tournament Results on Friday, 17 April
South Africa 0 (0) vs Australia 33 (19)
Australia – Tries: Bienne Terita (2), Teagan Levi (2), Kaitlin Shave
Conversions: Tia Hinds (2), Teagan Levi (2)
South Africa 0 (0) vs Canada 31 (24)
Canada – Tries: Alysha Corrigan (2), Charity Williams, Florence Symonds, Carmen Izyk Conversions: Olivia Apps (2), Savannah Bauder
Saturday, 18 April
Pool Match: South Africa 19 (7) vs Great Britain 5 (5)
South Africa – Tries: Maria Tshiremba (2), Lerato Makua
Conversions: Byrhandré Dolf (2)
Great Britain – Try: Katie Shillaker
Ninth-Place Semi-Final: South Africa 14 (7) vs Great Britain 19 (14)
South Africa – Tries: Shanidiné Bezuidenhout, Maria Tshiremba
Conversions: Byrhandré Dolf (2)
Great Britain – Tries: Ellen Scantlebury, Reneeqa Bonner (2)
Conversions: Abbie Brown (2)
Sunday, 19 April
11th Place Playoff: South Africa 10 (0) vs Argentina 25 (15)
SA – Tries: Maria Tshiremba, Zintle Mpupha
Argentina – Tries: Marianela Escalante, Sofia Gonzalez, Maria Brigido Chamorro, Talia Rodich, Azul Medin
The Springbok Women’s Sevens Squad for the Cathay HSBC SVNS World Championship Hong Kong
#2 Asisipho Plaatjies
#4 Zintle Mpupha (C)
#7 Maria Tshiremba
#10 Byrhandré Dolf
#16 Shiniqwa Lamprecht
#19 Shanidiné Bezuidenhout
#20 Catha Jacobs
#21 Jané Mulder
#22 Owami Mohuli
#23 Ayanda Malinga
#26 Lerato Makua
#27 Maceala Samboya
#30 Eloise Webb
Original Copy: SA Rugby Communications, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: The Springbok Women’s Sevens concluded their first HSBC SVNS World Championship in Hong Kong with a 12th place finish, beginning with heavy defeats on day one before bouncing back to beat Great Britain on day two and facing Argentina in a disappointing finale on day three that underscores the work ahead if they are to regain core team status. All Photos: World Rugby
Photo 2 Caption: Stand-in Skipper Zintle Mpupha congratulates Lerato Makua on opening her international Sevens account against Great Britain on Saturday.
Photo 3 Caption: Shiniqwa Lamprecht pictured pressing the advantage line against Great Britain on Saturday, the nation South Africa did best against over the weekend.
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