BlitzBoks Women cruise into Africa Cup Sevens quarters
WRAP: South Africa Women’s sevens scored 17 tries and conceded none on day one of the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Cup in Nairobi on Saturday, easing past Mauritius (68-0) and Zimbabwe (47-0) to secure a quarterfinal berth against Ghana on Sunday.
The South African attack was impressive all afternoon, but some solid defence also aided the team as they outclassed their opponents at the RFUEA Grounds in Kenya’s capital.
Two tries by wing Maria Tshiremba in the opening half of the first match set the tone for her team, who dotted down five times for a 33-0 lead at the break.
Tshiremba scored in the opening minute, and after Simamkele Namba raced through, scored her second from the resulting restart. Nadine Roos scored after a nice show-and-go and Namba added another before the break.
The second half saw a number of changes and replacements. Ayanda Malinga and Patience Mokone scored soon after their entry in the game. A Vianca Boer double extended the lead even further, before Mokone bagged a second on the buzzer for a 10-try romp.
Against Zimbabwe, Roos stamped her authority on the game early, with two well-taken tries and she converted a Namba try for a 16-point haul in the 21-0 lead at the break.
The second half belonged to Mokone, with the speedster bagging three tries in quick succession. Tshiremba opened the second-half scoring before her fellow winger took over to punish Zimbabwe even further.
Zimbabwe beat Mauritius 29-5 in the other Pool A tie.
Kenya, last year’s runners-up, also finished the day with two wins out of two, led by their inspirational captain Sheila Chajira.
The hosts eased past Côte d’Ivoire 44-0 and Ghana 37-0 in Pool B in their first step to lift the title on home soil.
Uganda, another top contender and the third-placed team from last year’s tournament in Ghana, also recorded two victories on the first day in Pool C.
Charles Onen’s charges overwhelmed Burkina Faso 50-0 in a scintillating try-fest at the RFUEA Ground but found Zambia to be tougher opponents before finally edging out the Southern Africans 20-14.
The other team to end the day with a 100 percent record was Madagascar in Pool D. The Lady Makis defeated debutants Egypt 31-7 and Tunisia 21-14.
The best-placed team in this tournament, outside Kenya, will secure a place in Division Three of next season’s SVNS Series.
Day One results:
Tunisia 22 v Egypt 0
Zambia 52 v Burkina Faso 0
Ghana 57 v Côte d’Ivoire 0
Zimbabwe 29 v Mauritius 5
Madagascar 31 v Egypt 7
Uganda 50 v Burkina Faso 0
Kenya 44 v Côte d’Ivoire 0
South Africa 68 v Mauritius 0
Madagascar 21 v Tunisia 14
Uganda 20 v Zambia 14
South Africa 45 v Zimbabwe 0
Kenya 37 v Ghana 0
Sunday, November 16 (Local time, GMT +3)
09.00 – Cup QF1- South Africa V Ghana
09.22 – Cup QF2- Madagascar V Zambia
09.44 – Cup QF3- Uganda V Tunisia
10.06 – Cup QF4- Kenya V Zimbabwe
10.28 – 9th Place SF1- Mauritius V Egypt
10.50 – 9th Place SF2- Côte d’Ivoire V Burkina Faso
11.30 – 5th Place SF1- Loser Match 13 v Loser Match 14
11.52 – 5th Place SF2- Loser Match 15 v Loser Match 16
12.14 – Cup SF1-Winner Match 13 v Loser Match 14
12.36 – Cup SF2- Winner Match 15 v Winner Match 16
12.58 – 11th Place Final- Loser Match 17 v Loser Match 18
13.20 – 9th Place Final- Winner Match 17 v Winner Match 18
15.00 – 7th Place Final-Loser Match 19 v Loser Match 20
15.25 – 5th Place Final-Winner Match 19 v Winner Match 20
15.54 – Bronze- Loser Match 21 v Loser Match 22
16.30 – Gold- Winner Match 21 v Winner Match 22
Broadcast: Streaming on Rugby Africa Facebook and RugbyPass TV
Sources: SA Rugby & Rugby Africa
