Professional sport, especially those involving physical sacrifices such as rugby, can be brutal and at times cruel but try and tell that to dual Springbok Women's player Eloise Webb. After more than a decade of playing either fifteens or sevens, the 30-year-old Webb has seen it all and lived it all. A provincial cricketer and netball player when she was younger, the East London native and Nelson Mandela University graduate in education fell in love with rugby and despite some

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

Backline players Dewald Human and Gino Cupido have been included in the Springbok Sevens squad that will travel to Spain and France on Sunday to compete in the final two HSBC SVNS World Championship tournaments, in Valladolid and Bordeaux. The duo missed out on the first of the three World Championship events – won by the Blitzboks in Hong Kong last month – due to injury, but they have recovered and will have a specific role to play on tour, Bok Sevens head coach Philip Snyma

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

Getting it right five times out of six was a good reflection of the standards the Springbok Sevens set for themselves in 2026 but the most valuable lesson was to make sure you start from zero every time. With that in mind, the Blitzboks will tackle the Cathay/HSBC SVNS Hong Kong tournament this weekend with the baseline of setting their own standards and playing accordingly. That is the view of Philip Snyman, who made it all happen for the Blitzboks in recent seasons, as the

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

The Springbok Sevens squad achieved one of their pre-season objectives by winning the HSBC SVNS Series but according to Blitzbok captain Impi Visser, they now need to up the ante even more, as they have other targets to hunt down as well. Visser, who played in his 50th world series tournament in the USA, said their mindset for Friday's HSBC SVNS World Championship opener at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Sports Park will be centred around their search for the perfect game, something he

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

Zain Davids has seen it all during his Sevens career as a Blitzbok. He has stood on podiums around the world, lifted a handful of trophies and received bronze, silver and gold medals in various competitions. And while none of those achievements have happened during his five previous trips to Hong Kong, the 28-year-old, who will be playing in his 58th HSBC SVNS tournament, said his focus remains on living in the moment every time he takes the field, which is exactly what he in

David Brits is keen to see if the hype around the Cathay Pacific/HSBC SVNS Hong Kong as being the best in the world, is true as in his opinion, nothing beats the South African leg of the world series, but he is going into the week with an open mind, the Blitzbok forward said with a huge smile on Monday. The decorated 28-year-old is on his first visit to Hong Kong and he plans to make the best of this opportunity, with the long-anticipated tournament victory also on “to do lis

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

It might be his first official appearance on the world stage in the 2026 season but for Springbok Sevens speedster Quewin Nortje, their Stellenbosch training fields are battle grounds of their own and he will be ready come the Cathay Pacific/HSBC SVNS Hong Kong next weekend. The Blitzboks face Uruguay, Spain and Argentina in Pool A of the first of three HSBC SVNS World Championship events, to be held at Kai Tak Sports Park. “The competitive excellence we are striving for is n

Quewin Nortje will make a first appearance for the Springbok Sevens team in the 2026 season next weekend after being named in the squad to travel east to Hong Kong for the first of the three HSBC SVNS World Championship tournaments. The 23-year-old flyer had a frustrating time with injuries this season and missed all six regular stops of the HSBC SVNS Series but is now fit and ready and will be an important cog in the Blitzboks attack at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC SVNS Hong Kong

The stage is set for a thrilling conclusion to the inaugural HSBC SVNS 2 Series as the final leg arrives in Sao Paulo this weekend, with the race for World Championship qualification reaching its climax. Taking place on Saturday and Sunday at the Estadio Nicolau Alayon, the Brazilian stop marks the third and decisive round of the competition, following action-packed tournaments in Nairobi and Montevideo. With just one round remaining, everything is still to play for as teams

Having qualified for the HSBC SVNS World Championship series with one tournament left to play was a huge relief to the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad but according to Maria Tshiremba, they are not done and still want to win this weekend when the final HSBC SVNS 2 tournament takes place in Estadio Nicolau Alayon in Sao Paulo. Tshiremba, who has scored 11 tries in the three qualifying events prior to the Brazil finale, in Dubai (HSBC SVNS 3), Nairobi and Montevideo, said the Wo

The Springbok Women's Sevens qualified for the HSBC SVNS World Championship by finishing in second place of HSBC SVNS 2 in Montevideo on Sunday, confirming a top four finish in the overall series with a tournament left to play, in Brazil next weekend. With the top four sides gaining entry into the three tournament World Championship, the Bok Women’s second placing in Uruguay, like they did in Kenya a month ago, means they will finish in the top four alongside Argentina, who d

The HSBC SVNS 2 Series swings back into action this weekend in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo for the first of two crucial back-to-back weekends in South America to decide which sides will head to the HSBC SVNS World Championship Series. Following their heroics in February’s opening round of the HSBC SVNS 2 Series in Nairobi, Argentina’s women and Germany’s men lead the way in the race to qualify for the competitions in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux in April, May and J