The Springbok Women’s Sevens had to endure some misfortune like illness and travel delays before the start of the HSBC SVNS World Championship tournament in Valladolid but for Zintle Mpupha, who will lead the team out at Estadio Jose Zorrilla on Friday morning, there is a real expectation that they can deliver positive results and improve their log standing in Spain this weekend. The Bok Women are currently 12th out of 12 teams on the log, following a disappointing performanc

Twenty-four teams head to north-west Spain with World Championship glory and a place among next season’s HSBC SVNS elite on the line. The HSBC SVNS World Championship returns for three days of wall-to-wall action in the Spanish city of Valladolid for the first of two crucial back-to-back European weekends to decide who will be crowned this year’s World Champions. Title holders South Africa and New Zealand head the respective men’s and women’s standings following their twin ru

Few in the world of HSBC SVNS will know of Wegdraai, a town in the Northern Cape of South Africa with a population of 2 200 but come next weekend in Spain, those attending the second leg of the World Championship will catch a glimpse of one of the town’s finest exports. 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

The Springbok Women’s Sevens squad named for the second leg of the HSBC SVNS World Championships have a much more settled look and given the additional time to prepare, Cecil Afrika (head coach) backs his charges for a positive performance next weekend at Estadio Jose Zorrilla in Valladolid. The South Africans suffered a rash of injuries before the first leg of the World Championship, in Hong Kong last month and with limited time to prepare for that event, finished 12th out o

They arrived in Hong Kong as the 11th-ranked team out of 12, had some misfortunes on the injury front and four players who will experience the intensity of the world stage for the first time but if you asked Ayanda Malinga, you write off the Springbok Women’s Sevens at your own peril. The hard-running wing, who has scored 14 tries in eight tournaments at this level, said the absence of regular captain, Nadine Roos, and experienced players like Liske Lategan and Simamkele Namb

The start of their journeys to make their Springbok Women’s Sevens debuts, at the HSBC SVNS World Championship, could not have been more different but for Owami Mohuli and Jane Mulder, their destination was the same – the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong. Mohuli (19) and Mulder (20) will hold no fear or favour in Hong Kong on Friday, shared by a firm desire to deliver their best effort, knowing that a sound performance for their country could ease the way for their age-group

Half a century since the tournament's inception in 1976, Hong Kong remains the heartbeat of international sevens rugby. This year's edition marks not only a golden anniversary but the start of a three-tournament World Championship race that will crown the sport's ultimate champions in 2026. The historic tournament has transitioned from its original home at Hong Kong Stadium to the state-of-the-art Kai Tak Stadium, ushering in a new chapter for sevens in Hong Kong while honour

Two familiar Springbok Women’s Sevens players have been recalled to the squad for the first HSBC SVNS World Championship tournament, to be played in Hong Kong next weekend. 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 nationa