Injuries galore as BlitzBok Women stumble in Sao Paulo
DAY ONE WRAP: It was not a good first day in Sao Paulo for the Springbok Women’s Sevens as they lost their first two matches in the HSBC SVNS 2 tournament in Brazil.
However, they recovered well to end the day with a solid win over the hosting nation.
They suffered a 5-19 defeat against Spain and a 5-14 loss to Kenya before bouncing back to beat Brazil 12-26.
A rash of injuries added to their misfortunes, but the strong finish on Day One at Estadio Nicolau Alayon bodes well for Sunday’s clashes against Argentina and China.
The opening match against Spain was disappointing to say the least. A revamped starting line-up struggled to get into their stride, with several system and individual errors hampering their effort, while some injuries added to their Day One woes.
Most notably, team captain Nadine Roos suffered a knee injury, which did not help to a lethargic opening start at all. The SA side hardly fired a shot and never got going, while Spain took their limited scoring opportunities well.
As if the opening match was not disappointing enough, more misery followed in their second match against Kenya. Always a feisty affair, the African bragging rights moved north as Kenya scored the only try in an error-ridden first half and although Asisipho Plaatjies pulled one back ten minutes in, a long-range effort from Freshia Oduor proved vital in the outcome of the match.
A depleted line-up exploded into action against Brazil.
Nadine Roos, Shannon-Lee Windvogel and Simamkele Namba were all ruled out of action, while Maceala Samboya limped off early, but a crucial intervention by Ayanda Malinga saved the day for South Africa.
Malinga scored twice in quick succession and two more tries in the second half restored pride and confidence in the SA effort.
Day One’s scores and scorers!
South Africa 5-19 Spain
The scorers:
For SA:
Try: Simamkele Namba
For Spain:
Tries: Maria Calvo, Maria Garcia, Abril Camacho Ruiz
Cons: Juana Stella 2
South Africa 5-14 Kenya
The scorers:
For SA:
Try: Asisipho Plaatjies
For Kenya:
Tries: Janet Okelo, Freshia Oduor
Cons: Sinaida Nyachio 2
South Africa 26-12 Brazil
The scorers:
For SA:
Tries: Ayanda Malinga 2, Byrhandré Dolf, Liske Lategan
Cons: Dolf 3
For Brazil:
Tries: Thalia Costa, Camilla Carvalho
Cons: Gisele Gomes Dos Santos
Other SVNS 2 fixtures and results:
Women:
Argentina 19-12 Kenya
China 17-19 Brazil
Spain 26-7 China
Argentina 0-17 Brazil
Spain 17-24 Kenya
Argentina 19-12 China
Men:
Uruguay 24-22 Canada
Germany 7-38 Kenya
USA 15-24 Belgium
Kenya 12-14 Belgium
Germany 19-26 Uruguay
USA 26-12 Canada
Germany 17-28 Belgium
Kenya 40-0 Canada
USA 19-14 Uruguay
