The national women’s rugby team won the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup trophy in Nairobi, Kenya.
The female Springboks defeated the hosts, Kenya, 35-20 in the final group game at the RFUEA Ground on Sunday afternoon, finishing at the top of the log with 15 points from three games.
This tournament which includes the four leading countries in women’s rugby started on May 23 when the local team defeated Madagascar 64-5, Kenya defeated Uganda 43-10.
In the second round, the Africans defeated Uganda 47-20, Kenya defeated Madagascar 57-0.
That led to the local team and Kenya going into the final game which turned out to be a tie with 10 points.
In this game, the local team won with tries by Alichia Arries, Naima Hlatshwayo, Logan Welman, Jakkie Cilliers, and two conversions by Cilliers, who also scored two penalties.
“We came to this game with a good strategy and it worked. Kicking the ball and placing it in their half of the field forced them to start attacking back, and we expected them to mark. We put them under pressure, they failed to withstand the type of game we forced them to play,” said the deputy coach of the female Springboks, Franzel September.
“In the end, we were able to win on the road under difficult conditions. There were many things that were against us, but the strength of the team was evident. Our team has improved a lot and we are very happy to see nine new players getting the chance to play at this level.
“We have achieved what we aimed for by winning these three games, and we are looking forward to the nine more that we will play this year.”
Bokke’s victory means that they have won the competition five times in a row since it was established in 2019.
Meanwhile, the national Rugby Sevens teams returned with mixed results at the second HSBC SVNS tournament in Valladolid, Spain, at the weekend.
The men’s team, the Blitzbokke, were defeated by Australia 26-19 in the final, finishing in second place.
It is still at the top of the World Championship log with 38 points, followed by Argentina with 34 points and Australia with 30 as there is one round left in the tournament.
The women’s Sevens team, Mbokodo, finished in ninth place, leaving them at the bottom of the log with five points.
The final round of the World Championship will be played in Bordeaux, France, from Friday to Sunday.