As if the pressure of making it into the final of the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament at in Dubai this weekend is not enough, the Springbok Women’s Sevens team will also face three opponents with very different approaches to the game in Pool A on Saturday. But for SA coach Cecil Afrika, that added challenge is something they prepared for and apart from looking at what their opponents will do, their focus will also be inward to execute their style of play. “It is going to be an interes

HSBC SVNS 3 brings sevens rugby back to Dubai less than two months after the top-tier HSBC SVNS Series kicked off at the Sevens Stadium. This weekend, eight men’s and eight women’s teams will take to the field, aiming to make their mark and move closer to the HSBC SVNS Championship later this year. Women’s teams from Argentina, Colombia, Czechia, Mexico, Poland, Samoa, South Africa and Thailand, and men’s teams from Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong China, Italy, Madagasca

The confirmation of the squad of 12 to travel to Dubai was a tough decision for Cecil Afrika but the Springbok Women’s Sevens coach is confident that all the boxes have been ticked for this weekend’s HSBC SVNS 3 tournament at the Sevens Stadium. The South Africans depart for the Middle East on Monday evening knowing that they need to reach the final of this standalone tournament in the World Rugby Challenger Series on 17 and 18 January to qualify for SVNS 2, the next hurdle f