Women's Sevens unleash star power for high-stakes continental showdown

WITH so much riding on the Rugby Africa Women's Sevens championship in Nairobi, Kenya, next weekend, it is no wonder the Springbok Women's Sevens team is trotting out the big guns for the regional tournament that offers a shot at redemption ... or a step closer to it.

- ROWAN CALLAGHAN

The Bok Women need a top-two finish to qualify for the 2026 World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series, and are taking no chances in their bid to get back to the HSBC SVNS top table - having lost their core status at the end of the 2024 season.

SA Rugby Women's Player of the Year, Nadine Roos, a star of sevens and fifteens rugby, is among the stellar names selected for a training camp to prepare for the continental championship.

She has been joined in the training squad by Zintle Mpupha, Byrhandrè Dolf, Ayanda Malinga, Lerato Makua and Faith Tshauke, who were all her teammates at the recent Women's Rugby World Cup in England, where the Bok Women qualified for the quarterfinals for the first time.

Cecil Afrika, who has been part of the coaching setup since 2023, will lead the the team in the absence of Renfred Dazel, who is helping Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman in the 2025/26 HSBC SVNS.