There won’t be any sultanas on display from the agricultural village on the banks of the Gariep River a full 11,300km away from Estadio Jose Zorrilla in Valladolid, but rather a new face in Vianca Boer of the Springbok Women’s Sevens.

The 24-year-old is no stranger to local sevens fans – after all, she has played for the national team in the Sevens Challenger Series in Poland in 2025, as well as the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Championship and SVNS 3 tournaments, but a knee injury prevented her from competing in the more demanding SVNS 2 series and now, the World Championship.

And no one is more excited than Boer to board their flight from Cape Town to Madrid via Amsterdam on Sunday. For her, facing the unknown is a positive challenge, rather than negative adversity and she is ready to face the big names when the South Africans meet USA, Australia and Fiji next weekend.

It was a long journey for Boer, who first started playing rugby at Groblershoop High School, the nearest town to Wegdraai with a secondary school, but once she touched the oval ball, there was a connection that shaped her ambitions.

The provincial pathway eased her into the system and after being selected for Griquas’ U16 and U18 YTC squads, she also represented the union at the national age-group weeks.

She enrolled at North West University in Potchefstroom and although her first two years were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, as soon as things returned to normal, Boer joined the university women’s team.

Soon, she was selected for the Leopards provincial team and from that point, it was clear where her career was heading. Higher honours followed when she was selected for the national universities team (USSA) before the inevitable call-up to train with the Springbok Women’s Sevens.

That offer came as she graduated from NWU with a degree in in teaching, which made the decision to become part of the national an easy one.

A try in her Krakow debut made the trip to Poland even more memorable, and more followed in the SVNS 3 tournament in Dubai, where the South Africa won the title. Boer also injured her knee in the UAE and the resulting surgery took her out of the SVNS 2 timeframe, but now she is as ready as she can be.

“We prepared well since the team returned from Hong Kong and I had a lot of time on the field with them, so I am confident that I can deliver what is expected of me,” Boer said shortly before departure to Spain.

“I am playing as a sweeper and in that role, you need to anticipate what players in other positions are likely to do to react quickest, so your focus is one the game, not on heavy legs.

“It will be important for us as a team to stick to the things we trained as I think we had a good couple of weeks with coach Cecil Afrika. There were new players coming in as well, as SVNS 2 took its toll with injuries, but we have grown into a team nicely over the last couple of weeks. Everyone just need to trust and bring their skill set to the game and if that happens, we will be successful.”

For Boer, facing the biggest names in the sport on the field in the next week, is an exciting prospect: “They are the best in the world and to be tested against them is what every player hopes to experience. I am ready. No one can run without legs, and I trust my defence and loves nothing more than a good solid tackle.”

South Africa’s Pool B fixtures (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport):

Friday 29 May
10h22: USA
14h29: Australia

Saturday 30 May
10h00: Fiji

Issued by SA Rugby Communications
Image Credit: BokWomen/X

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That was the frank assessment from SA coach Cecil Afrika as his team completed the first of three HSBC SVNS World Championship events in 12th place and now have a massive battle on their hands to climb their way into the top eight in the final two events in Spain and France next month.

Defeats on day one to Australia and Canada were followed by a famous win over Great Britain in their final pool match, but the Bok Women faltered thereafter, losing to Great Britain in the ninth-place semi-final before going down against Argentina on Sunday.

“The win over Great Britain on Saturday was massive for us because they had core status this year and we did not,” said Afrika.

“It proved to us that we can play at that level and win, but only if we use our opportunities. When we played them again on the same day, but did not do that, we paid the price. That was a good lesson to learn, and we will be better for it.”

Coming into the tournament without a number of injured regular starters meant the Bok Women were under pressure from the start, but they had their moments against Australia and Canada, who are in the top four of the rankings.

Afrika said: “We saw when we stuck to our plans, we achieved results. The team did not have that much time together due to all the injuries and short turnaround, so we can certainly be better in the departments where we did well.

“And of course, we will be better in those areas where we showed weakness. We have a lot of work to do back at home.”

An injury to Asisipho Plaatjies on day one did not help either, neither did the red card to Lerato Makua for head contact against Great Britain in their playoff match on the second day.

The intensity of the matches also caught up with his squad, Afrika said: “We are not used to that and could not respond well enough. Especially our kick-offs and kick-off receives were not up to standard and that is an area we will work one once we come back home.

“I am pleased with some of our work on attack, where we managed to create some good tries when everyone was on the same page. We could not always sustain that, which is something we will try to fine tune as we prepare for the tournaments in Spain and France next month.”

Selected Springbok Women’s Sevens statistics:

Most points:
20: Maria Tshiremba – 4 tries
8: Byrhandré Dolf – 4 conversions

Most tries:
4: Maria Tshiremba
1: Lerato Makua, Zintle Mpupha, Shanidiné Bezuidenhout

Pool draw for the HSBC SVNS Valladolid:
A: New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Argentina
B: Australia, USA, Fiji, South Africa
C: France, Canada, Spain, Great Britain

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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Zintle Mpupha and Eloise Webb, who played for the Isuzu Bulls Daisies and Sanlam Boland Dames in last weekend’s Pick n Pay Women’s Super League 1 final in Pretoria, return to the shorter version of the game as SA coach Cecil Afrika named his squad for the trip to the Far East.

Mpupha played for the national squad this season at the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament in Dubai in January, while Webb last represented the team in 2024, playing her ninth tournament in the season-ending event in Madrid. Both also represented the Springbok Women at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England last year.

Apart from the two experienced players, Afrika also called on the uncapped duo of Jané Mulder and Owami Mohuli for the trip to Hong Kong.

Former SA Under-20 wing Mulder trained with the squad last year and was included in the Springbok Women’s Sevens ‘A’-side that played in the International Invitational tournament of the Emirates Dubai Sevens in November.

Mohuli, who plays on the wing for the Free State Women, impressed during the recent Pick n Pay WSL and scored three tries in seven outings for the Bloemfontein side.

Shanidiné Bezuidenhout and Maceala Samboya, who helped the team qualify for the World Championship in the HSBC SVNS 2 series, will also get their first taste of sevens rugby on the biggest stage.

The inclusion of the two veterans and two uncapped players is due to a rash of injuries that the squad suffered at the back end of their HSBC SVNS 2 campaign.

The medical reports compiled after the final tournament in Brazil did not make for good reading with five players sidelined, including Nadine Roos, the leading points scorer and team captain, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

Roos is joined on the sidelines by Liske Lategan and Shannon-Lee Windvogel, both of whom were operated on last Monday, while Simamkele Namba was ruled out due to a hamstring strain and Patience Mokone with a knee injury.

Furthermore, Vianca Boer, Rights Mkhari and Kayla Swarts are all in the final stages of their rehabilitation, but not yet available for selection, with Leigh Fortuin and Kemisetso Baloyi are scheduled to be back for the latter part of the season.

South Africa have been drawn in Pool B and will face Australia, Canada and Great Britain. New Zealand, Fiji, Japan and Brazil contest Pool A, while USA, France, Spain and Argentina are in Pool C.

The squad depart for Hong Kong on Sunday and according to Mpupha, the most experienced player in the squad, they are ready to make another step up.

“We wanted to be in this position, to be where we can qualify as a core team again,” said Mpupha.

“It is a pity about the injuries as those players would all have loved to be part of the final phase, so we are also representing them next weekend.

“For me, having been in this situation a couple of times now, the message to the younger group would be to keep enjoying what we are doing, playing a sport we love and representing our country while doing so. Coach Cecil (Afrika) has a good plan for us and if we execute well, we will be able to surprise a few teams over there.”

Springbok Women’s Sevens pool schedule (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport):

Friday, 17 April
06h25 Australia
09h12 Canada

Saturday, 18 April
05h04 Great Britain

Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for Hong Kong (with HSBC SVNS records):
#2 Asisipho Plaatjies – 4 tournaments, 0 points
#4 Zintle Mpupha – 12 tournaments, 60 points (12 tries)
#7 Maria Tshiremba – 6 tournaments, 50 points (10 tries)
#10 Byrhandré Dolf – 3 tournaments, 0 points
#16 Shiniqwa Lamprecht – 8 tournaments, 0 points
#19 Shanidiné Bezuidenhout – uncapped
#20 Catha Jacobs – 1 tournament, 0 points
#21 Jané Mulder – uncapped
#22 Owami Mohuli – uncapped
#23 Ayanda Malinga – 8 tournaments, 70 points (14 tries)
#26 Lerato Makua – 1 tournament, 0 points
#27 Maceala Samboya – uncapped
#30 Eloise Webb – 9 tournaments, 7 points (1 try, 1 conversion)

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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That, of course, is the HSBC SVNS World Championship Series, where the first tournament kicks off in Hong Kong in three weeks.

The South Africans finished in third overall after the events in Nairobi, Montevideo, and Sao Paulo, respectively, which saw them progress to the big dance, although this did not stop them from reflecting on some crucial character tests along the way, particularly in the last two tournaments in South America.

It started with a delayed arrival in Uruguay due to flight challenges and finished with them being able to field only eight available players on Sunday in day two of the Estadio Nicolau Alayon event.

Despite this, the South Africans completed the final event as the team that missed the least number of tackles over the five matches played. They also occupied second place on defence, with a 79% tackle completion rate at the end of the series.

“We had to dig deep, really deep, and the way our players responded was massive,” said Afrika. “They knew that it was up to them to play for the team, and it was great to see how we came back from that to finish strongly by overhauling China to end the series with a win.”

Afrika will be on speed dial with team doctor, Minjon Ras, this week, as the medical assessments on Nadine Roos, Shannon-Leigh Windvogel, Liske Lategan, and Simamkele Namba will determine their availability for Hong Kong.

Amongst those misfortunes, though, the coach was pleased with the performances by debutants, Shanidiné Bezuidenhout and Maceala Samboya, and the reintroduction of Catha Jacobs to the Sevens code.

“Their growth was great to watch,” said Afrika. “All of them have work-ons for sure, but no one just snaps into becoming a Sevens player. It takes time, and you need to learn lessons along the way.

“Catha’s carries were something special, and we’ll work on her conditioning. Maceala is just raw talent, but she quickly got the hang of the defensive line-up and made some massive tackles, while Shanidiné had to step into Nadine’s shoes on day two, and did very well.
“Her basics around the scrum and throwing the ball into the line-out under massive pressure improved a lot, and she came of age against China, not only scoring the try that gave us the lead, but she also chased down a Chinese runner and tackled her when we were in a position to close out the game.”

These are the moments that mould players and teams, and Afrika is confident that they will all improve when they face the top eight teams who recently played in the HSBC SVNS series.

“The SVNS 2 was great and so competitive,” the coach said. “We saw last night that the very last game of the third tournament determined the fourth qualifier to go to the World Champs, and that shows how close all the teams were. There is another step up now, but as we responded every time, I’m confident we’ll do so come the next three events.”

Final HSBC SVNS 2 log standings:

54 Argentina
50 Spain
46 South Africa
42 Brazil
40 Kenya
38 China

Selected SVNS 2 stats

Points scorers:
61 Nadine Roos
40 Maria Tshiremba
30 Ayanda Malinga
26 Byrhandrè Dolf

Try-scorers:
8 Maria Tshiremba
6 Ayanda Malinga
5 Nadine Roos
4 Byrhandrè Dolf, Patience Mokone

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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And big smiles on their faces in the third and final event of the series, as they have already guaranteed a ticket to the big dance, the three-tournament HSBC World Rugby Championship.

The also enter this weekend’s action without any travel dramas, having settled in Sao Paulo on Monday – a far cry from the previous week when they only arrived in Montevideo halfway through the week, suffering from long haul jetlag and a different time zone.

That is according to playmaker and pivot Byrhandré Dolf, who is predicting a more fluent start to their tournament than last week against Spain, when the South Africans conceded three tries in seven minutes before they regained composure with two second half tries, which wasn’t enough to prevent a 15-14 defeat.

The Bok Women will again start against Spain and Dolf is confident of getting their weekend going with a solid performance.

“We had much more time to do analysis of last weekend’s games and to iron out small gremlins on the training field, something we certainly did not have time for last week,” she said.

“Each player had a good look at their individual performances and how the team functioned under pressure, and that made it much easier going into this weekend.

“We could also get a good look at our opponents and will be ready for what they bring.”

Dolf said the confirmed World Championship qualification meant a lot to the team: “We are stress-free now; we know where we are heading and that was what we worked for.

“We can also use this weekend to prepare ourselves for the World Championship, where the standards will be higher. Another tournament under the belt also means we will be better as a squad and more cohesive in our performance.”

For her, the motivation this weekend will be play at the standards they know they are capable of. Much of that will come from Dolf’s guidance, especially on attack.

“I am growing as a player and the work-ons will never stop,” said Dolf. “I am looking forward to this weekend as this is another opportunity where we can play as a team, we are stronger together, after all.”

The team’s leading try-scorer, Maria Tshiremba, will not be in action though as she is rested due to a niggle.

Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for Sao Paulo:
#2 Asisipho Plaatjies
#3 Patience Mokone
#9 Nadine Roos (captain)
#10 Byrhandré Dolf
#12 Liske Lategan
#14 Simamkele Namba
#16 Shiniqwa Lamprecht
#19 Shanidiné Bezuidenhout
#20 Catha Jacobs
#23 Ayanda Malinga
#26 Lerato Makua
#27 Maceala Samboya (uncapped)
#28 Shannon-Lee Windvogel

Springbok Women’s Sevens fixtures (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport):

Saturday, 28 March
16h06: Spain
19h18: Kenya
22h49: Brazil

Sunday, 29 March
17h28: Argentina
20h18: China

HSBC SVNS 2 standings:
1 Argentina – 40 points
2 South Africa – 34
3 Spain – 34
4 China – 28
5 Brazil – 22
6 Kenya – 22

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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Tshiremba, who has scored 11 tries in the three qualifying events prior to the Brazil finale, in Dubai (HSBC SVNS 3), Nairobi and Montevideo, said the World Championship qualification was a huge relief and something they are very happy about.

“But the work is not done,” she said. “It is our aim to finish SVNS 2 on the strongest possible terms. A win will not only be reward for our hard work, but will also improve our confidence going to Hong Kong.”

The South Africans will be ready to bounce back from last weekend, where they finished on a disappointing note, losing 22-10 to Argentina in their final match.

“Back-to-back tournaments are tough on the body – in fact, it can be brutal,” said Tshiremba, who plays her provincial rugby for the Isuzu Bulls Daisies.

“But we came through Montevideo all right, so I know everyone will be ready to fire again. We only get so many opportunities to play for our country, and we want to make the most of each one.”

The Bok speedster said the match against Argentina last weekend will motivate them: “We did not defend well enough against Argentina. They play a very good offloading game and that created gaps in our defence.

“For us to fix that, we need more dominant tackles and that is something we had worked on this week. But it is not Argentina only, we must make sure we are accurate against all our opponents, each of them deserve our respect and our A-game.”

The 30-year-old’s try-scoring ability has her teammates, opponents and pundits in awe, not to mention the social media highlights videos that were created of some of her five pointers.

“Yes, I am getting more confident the more tries I have scored – I am trusting my ability to beat opponents and how to use my speed effectively,” she said. “But I still need my team mates to create the gaps for me to run into them, so every try is also a testimony of their hard work.”

South Africa face Spain in their opening match again on Saturday, before taking on Kenya and Brazil. On Sunday, they will finish the tournament against Argentina and China.

Springbok Women’s Sevens fixtures:

Saturday, 28 March (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport)
16h06: Spain
19h18: Kenya
22h49: Brazil

Sunday, 29 March
17h28: Argentina
20h18: China

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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The SA side won three of five matches and apart from “14 minutes of poor rugby”, Afrika said they were pleased with all the outcomes of the weekend.

“We had two poor halves basically,” said Afrika.

“We started poorly against Spain in the first match on Saturday and finished poorly against Argentina in the last match on Sunday, but in between we really did well.”

The poor start resulted in the Bok Women going down 15-0 against Spain, eventually losing 15-14. Against Argentina, they conceded three second half tries for a 22-10 defeat.

“Those were bad patches of rugby, but I have to look at the rest of the tournament as well and we really played excellent rugby against China, Brazil and Kenya,” said Afrika.

“Especially our defensive effort was massive and that did put teams under huge pressure. I cannot fault the effort from the ladies, who really gave everything they had.”

The team will travel to the final HSBC SVNS 2 tournament in Sao Paulo this weekend knowing they did enough to qualify for the World Championships, but Afrika said there are still a lot of work to do.

“We need to play matches at this level to get use to the intensity and quality as we are also in the process of building depth in our squad,” he said.

“We gave Shanidinè Bezuidenhout the opportunity to debut in this tournament and she did well, while someone like Lerato Makua, who has not played that many tournaments before, really stood out with her effort. She has now matured into a very good international sevens player and that came from being exposed to this level of rugby.”

The team management will have a look at any walking wounded once in Brazil, but Afrika expects a clean bill of health from all his players: “There were no injuries at the end of the tournament, but as it is a back-to-back weekend for everyone, we need to manage that as well.”

Earlier, World Rugby confirmed that Argentina (40 log points) and South Africa (34 log points) are through to the events in Hong Kong (17-19 April), Valladolid (29-31 May) and Bordeaux (5-7 June), with the final HSBC SVNS 2 tournament still to be played.

Spain (34 points) look set to finish third, with China (28 points) and Brazil (22 points) in a race to finish fourth and claim the final qualification berth.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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Meanwhile, Nadine Roos did the double by being named SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year for a second successive season at the SA Rugby Awards, presented by FNB on Thursday.

Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks were also honoured for a brilliant 2025 season, by taking the awards for Coach and Team of the Year after successfully defending the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title while winning 11 of their 13 Tests.

Marx, who was voted the top men’s player in South Africa in 2017, came out on top against four very good finalists in Pieter-Steph du Toit, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ox Nche, and Jasper Wiese. Ethan Hooker walked away with the award for SA Rugby Men’s Young Player of the Year.

Roos was voted the outstanding female player in South Africa in a season where the Springbok Women reached the Rugby World Cup playoffs for the first time. The other finalists were Byrhandré Dolf, Aseza Hele, Libbie Janse van Rensburg, and Babalwa Latsha.

Celebrating the success of women’s rugby, two new awards were added to the roster on Thursday, with Roos also taking the crown as Springbok Women’s Sevens Player of the Year, while Byrhandré Dolf – herself a dual-international – was named as the first winner of the SA Rugby Young Women’s Player of the Year award.

Shilton van Wyk (Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year) and Haashim Pead (Junior Springbok Player of the Year) were also honoured for their brilliant performances in green and gold in 2025.

Mr Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby, congratulated the winners for their outstanding contributions to what was arguably the finest year in the history of South African rugby.

“Malcolm led the charge for the Springboks and richly deserves this accolade alongside his World Rugby Player of the Year Award, while Nadine was the spark that ignited the finest season we have ever witnessed from our Springbok Women,” said Mr Alexander.

“The year 2025 will remain etched in our memories for decades to come, thanks to Rassie, Siya and the Springboks. Yet it was not only the senior team that shone—every one of our national sides delivered and we are immensely proud of all the winners.

“Beyond the Bok Women raising the bar to unprecedented heights, the Junior Boks captured the U20 World Championship for the first time since 2012 and the Blitzboks triumphed in the HSBC SVNS World Championship. Together, these achievements made 2025 not only a golden year, but the best year in the history of SA Rugby.

“Our rugby is thriving at franchise, provincial and club level, which bodes well for the season ahead. Congratulations to all the winners and to every team, coach and player across South Africa and the best of luck for the new season – may we continue to spread hope and happiness.”

Faye Mfikwe, Chief Marketing Officer of FNB, SA Rugby’s principal sponsor and presenting partner for the Awards said: “We are honoured to celebrate the remarkable sportsmen and women recognised at this year’s SA Rugby Awards, whose achievements continue to inspire pride across our nation. Their dedication and excellence reflect the very best of South African rugby, and we are proud to stand alongside SA Rugby as a long‑term partner in advancing the sport from grassroots to greatness.

“Our development partnership has always focused on creating real pathways for young talent, ensuring that every young person in every community has the opportunity to dream, to participate, and to rise. The success highlighted at the Awards this year represents years of hard work that begins on dusty fields, in school competitions, and in community rugby programmes supported through investments such as ours.

“Rugby remains a powerful force for unity, hope and progress. As FNB, we remain committed to strengthening the structures that nurture tomorrow’s champions and to celebrating the heroes who lift the spirit of our nation today.”

On the domestic front, the DHL Stormers’ Feinberg-Mngomezulu (SA Vodacom URC Player of the Season for 2024/25), Donavan Don of the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers (Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year), Andrew Kota of the Griffons (Carling Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year) and Patience Mokone of the Isuzu Bulls Daisies (Provincial Women’s Player of the Year) walked away with awards.

Aimee Barrett-Theron capped a great season, during which she took charge of the Women’s Rugby World Cup opening game and one of the semi-finals, by winning the OUTsurance Referee of the Year Award for the fourth time.

The Springboks’ record 43-10 victory over the All Blacks in Wellington, New Zealand last year was voted as the FNB Fans’ Moment of the Year, while SA Wheelchair Rugby was named as the Associate Member of the Year.

Erasmus and Kolisi, as well as the recently retired Springbok Women’s captain Nolusindiso Booi, were amongst a group of six people who received special recognition awards at the Awards.

Kolisi – who was also honoured for this 100th Test cap on the November tour – received the Spirit of ’95 Award for his “exceptional contribution in uplifting the game and the nation, through the example of inclusivity and ubuntu, demonstrating iconic and inspirational leadership to the sport and the country, in the footsteps of the example set by Nelson Mandela in 1995”.

The Springbok Legacy Award, recognising the “extraordinary contribution made by an individual to promote and enhance the standing of Springbok rugby as a force on the field and a power off it by promoting excellence and inclusion to inspire social cohesion, and provide a legacy for the game such that it will resonate throughout the history of South Africa”, was awarded to Erasmus, who also reached 50 Tests as head coach of the Boks last year, only the second person to achieve this milestone.

Furthermore Booi, who retired after the 2025 season, was honoured for reaching 50 Test caps, the first Springbok Women’s player to achieve the feat, while three members of the Springbok management, team manager Charles Wessels (200 Tests), assistant coach Mzwandile Stick (100 Tests), and technical analyst Lindsay Weyer (100 Tests) were also honoured for their achievements.

The prestigious President’s Award was presented to Mr Gavin Varejes, for his contribution to the sport over three decades in many different guises. His support has extended from grassroots development to rural communities through the creation of the South African Rugby Legends Association, which has done extraordinary work in the game for many years.

“Gavin has financially supported individual athletes in ways that may never be known and when rugby has made the call, he has usually had an answer,” said Mr Alexander. “Quite simply, he has been the single biggest benefactor to rugby in South Africa for decades, which is why we are delighted to present this token of our undying appreciation to him.”

SA Rugby Awards 2025 winners and finalists (where applicable):

SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year: Malcolm Marx
Finalists: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ox Nche, Jasper Wiese

SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year: Nadine Roos
Finalists: Byrhandré Dolf, Aseza Hele, Libbie Janse van Rensburg, Babalwa Latsha

Malcolm Marx crowned 2025 SA Rugby Player of the Year Ethan Hooker
Finalists: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Canan Moodie, Haashim Pead, Zachary Porthen

SA Rugby Young Women’s Player of the Year: Byrhandré Dolf
Finalists: Patience Mokone, Nombuyekezo Mdliki, Anushka Groenewald

Springbok Men’s Sevens Player of the Year: Shilton van Wyk
Finalists: Selvyn Davids, Impi Visser

Springbok Women’s Sevens Player of the Year: Nadine Roos

Junior Springbok Player of the Year: Haashim Pead
Finalists: Cheswill Jooste, Riley Norton

Team of the Year: Springboks
Finalists: Junior Springboks, Springbok Sevens

Coach of the Year: Rassie Erasmus (Springboks)
Finalists: Swys de Bruin (Springbok Women), Kevin Foote (Junior Springboks), Philip Snyman (Springbok Sevens)

FNB Fans’ Moment of the Year: The Springboks’ record victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand

Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year: Donavan Don (Sanlam Boland Kavaliers)
Finalists: Gurshwin Wehr (Suzuki Griquas), George Whitehead (Suzuki Griquas)

Carling Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year: Andrew Kota (NovaVit Griffons)
Finalists: Keagan Fortune (Valke), Willem van den Hever (NovaVit Griffons)

Provincial Women’s Player of the Year: Patience Mokone (Isuzu Bulls Daisies)

SA Vodacom URC Player of the Season (announced last year): Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)

OUTsurance Referee of the Year: Aimee Barrett-Theron

President’s Award: Gavin Varejes

Spirit of ’95 Award: Siya Kolisi

Springbok Legacy Award: Rassie Erasmus

SA Rugby Associate Member of the Year: SA Wheelchair Rugby

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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After all, this is where it started for Jacobs, who made her foray into international rugby with the Springbok Women’s Sevens team way back in 2019, and earned her first professional income as a rugby player as part of the national sevens set-up.

After the COVID pandemic, Jacobs returned to the field in the fifteens format, a decision that yielded two Women’s Rugby World Cup tournaments and 26 Test caps for the Springbok Women.

Her return to South Africa this year came after successful stints playing club rugby in England with Saracens and the Leicester Tigers in the past three years, and since her arrival in Johannesburg, Jacobs has played three matches for the Golden Lions Women in the Pick n Pay Women’s Super League before national duty called again.

“I missed the South African sunshine too much and wanted to come back to my friends and family,” the 27-year-old utility forward explained her decision to return.

“It was great playing with and against many big names in the women’s game in England but doing so while cold and missing loved ones was not always fun.”

Jacobs now finds herself in sunny Stellenbosch, where she has joined up with a number of familiar faces as the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad prepare for the final two HSBC SVNS 2 tournaments in Uruguay and Brazil later this month.

Amongst the group, Nadine Roos, Ayanda Malinga, Byrhandré Dolf, Lerato Makua and Maceala Samboya, were teammates in last year’s RWC in England.

The South Africans are in second place out of six teams following the first of the three tournaments, played in Kenya, but injuries to key forwards opened the door for Jacobs, as coach Cecil Afrika looked at his options for the South American leg of qualifying events.

“I did not come back to play sevens necessarily, but always loved the code, it is where it started for me after all,” said Jacobs.

“I have really enjoyed myself since joining, the team environment is great and they are doing well, so I feel at home. Obviously, my fitness levels for playing sevens was a challenge, but so far so good.

“I know there are no guarantees for selection to go to South America, but I am doing my best for now. Playing sevens again has already improved my decision making and fitness, so I am happy to be here.”

Afrika had the misfortune of losing Rights Mkhari and Kemisetso Baloyi before the season started, and Leigh Fortuin due to injury in Nairobi, while Zintle Mpupha picked up a suspension playing for the Isuzu Bulls Daisies in the WSL, which opened the window of opportunity for Jacobs.

“Apart from sunshine and being closer to my family, I also came back to be part of the new growth spurt in women’s rugby, and a successful sevens team will also be part of elevating the game, so for now, I am happy to contribute on that front too,” Jacobs said.

Springbok Women’s Sevens training squad: Asisipho Plaatjies, Ayanda Malinga, Byrhandré Dolf, Catha Jacobs, Chloe Adams, Lerato Makua, Liske Lategan, Maceala Samboya, Maria Tshiremba, Marli George, Nadine Roos, Patience Mokone, Shanidine Bezuidenhout, Shiniqwa Lamprecht, Simamkele Namba, Shannon-Leigh Windvogel.

Not available for selection: Kayla Swarts, Kemisetso Baloyi, Leigh Fortuin, Nomawethu Mabenge, Vianca Boer, Rights Makari (rehabilitation), Zintle Mpupha (suspension).

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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The Bok Women beat Spain and Kenya on day one, but were defeated by Brazil. However, they came storming back on Sunday to with victories over China and Argentina.

The South Africans are second behind Argentina on the log, with the South Americans earning a losing bonus point in their final match against the Bok Women to retain the slightest of edges as the series now moves to Montevideo and Sao Paulo next month.

The top four sides on the log at the completion of the series will qualify for the top tier HSBC SVNS World Championship, with tournaments in Hong Kong, Spain and France.

Afrika praised his team for the fight shown and the refusal to lie down, especially against Argentina, where they needed a try in extra time to beat the team in blue and white.

“The girls really played for each other and they showed how much that jersey means to them,” said Afrika.

“The character and fight to stay in that match and ultimately win it, was massive for us and the squad in general. I am very proud of that performance.”

Afrika lamented the slow start on Saturday, with the team also losing Leigh Fortuin with injury in the opening minutes of the first game against Spain: “We started slowly and just could not convert our opportunities on day one. Although we started with a win over Spain, it was not our best performance.

“The defeat against Brazil was a continuation of the issue of not converting our chances, but on Sunday, we took our opportunities much better and that was pleasing. There were many learnings for us and we have something to work on when we start preparing for the next two tournaments.”

Afrika said the format of the tournament, where each of the six teams played each other without a knock-out phase provided good lessons.

“We all had to adapt to the change in format and we could have been at the top, bar the bonus point Argentina gained from our match, so it is good lessons learned. We are in second position and in contention for that top four spot, so in that regard, it was mission accomplised,” Afrika said.

Selected SA stats:

Most tries:
Maria Tshiremba 4

Most points:
Nadine Roos 21 points (1 try, 8 conversions)

Standings
1 Argentina – 20 points
2 South Africa – 18 points
2 Spain – 16 points

Remaining HSBC SVNS 2 tournaments:
21-22 March: Montevideo, Uruguay
28-29 March: Sao Paulo, Brazil

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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