Gutsy win embodies Bok Women Sevens spirit

A severely depleted Springbok Women’s Sevens team finished the final HSBC SVNS 2 tournament at Estadio Nicolau Alayon on a high note on Sunday and despite a mixed bag of results, their fighting spirit shone brightly in Sao Paulo.

They were without five injured players and faced Argentina and China with only eight players available, with all of Nadine Roos, Simamkele Namba, Liske Lategan, Shannon-Leigh Windvogel and Patience Mokone ruled out due to injury.

The South Africans suffered a 19-5 defeat to Argentina but bounced back in the second half against China to claim a 14-10 win and finish the tournament in fifth place.

Much was expected of the match-up between South Africa and Argentina as they came into the tournament occupying the top two positions on the log but the depleted Bok Women side just did not have enough gamebreakers left to pull off a win.

As a result of all the injuries, the starting team played together for the first time and lacked cohesion on attack. They defended well and for long spells as Argentina kept the ball alive, but any team can only defend for so long and three minutes in Argentina broke through for the first points of the match.

From the restart, a good attack by South Africa resulted in Ayanda Malinga scoring near the posts, but the conversion went wide.

Argentina scored soon after some limp-wristed defence by South Africa to take a 14-5 lead at the break. They scored the only try of the second half also after a quick tap penalty caught the Bok Women napping on defence.

The best seven minutes of the day for the South Africans came in the second half of their match against China. The Chinese scored two good first half tries against a tiring SA defence and held a 10-0 lead at the break.

The second half belonged to the team in green and gold. Showing tremendous heart, they scored when Asisipho Plaatjies stepped past her opponent and with the conversion successful, it suddenly became a one score result.

That score came from Shanidiné Bezuidenhout playing at scrumhalf. The former netball star worked her way through the smallest of gaps to score under the poles for a converted try, not only a match-winning one, but a first for her country as well.

It took until the 90th and final match of the three-tournament HSBC SVNS 2 Series to decide the final team in the three-tournament HSBC SVNS World Championship Series.

The women’s and men’s HSBC SVNS 2 Series tournaments in Sao Paulo went to the wire, as hosts Brazil and Belgium thrilled the crowd on the road to the titles, while As Yaras and Uruguay claimed the two outstanding places in the HSBC SVNS World Championship Series, which kicks off in Hong Kong in April.

Heading into the third and final HSBC SVNS 2 Series tournament, Brazil’s chances of overtaking China and claiming the final ticket for the season-ending tri-tournament World Championships seemed remote. In the end, that and the Sao Paulo title were the twin prizes at stake for Brazil and Kenya in the closing match of the weekend and it was the home nation who came out on top to take both.

On the men’s side of the draw, Uruguay’s hard-fought victory over determined Belgium in the opening game of day two bagged the South Americans the final qualification spot. But Belgian disappointment at missing out on double promotion after moving up from HSBC SVNS 3 was tempered when Kenya’s win over Uruguay in the penultimate match of the men’s tournament handed them the Sao Paulo title, courtesy of their 14-12 day one win over the African nation.

Player of the tournament, Belgium’s Ryan Godsmark, told Rugbypass TV he hoped the weekend performance in South America would inspire players back home. “(I’m) really pleased, firstly with the result for the team and what we’ve achieved,” he said. “It’s the cherry on top to be identified as the player of the tournament but there’s a lot of individuals who played well and put their hand up - I think I’m just the lucky one to be selected!”

He said that a change in mindset prompted the turnaround in performances in Brazil, after a difficult run in Nairobi and Montevideo following Belgium’s promotion from HSBC SVNS 3. “It started off real tough because it’s a totally different level, we weren’t used to it. There was a lot of pressure that we put on ourselves as a group.

“This week we just totally changed that. We’re fully amateur, we’re here to enjoy ourselves. A lot of us are taking time off work just to be here, so we really made that an emphasis for us to have a good time, and that changes everything. We take pleasure when we play. I hope it can be some sort of launching pad, because we’ve got some huge talent in Belgium.”

The volume at Estadio Nicolau Alayon reached new decibels as hosts Brazil and supporters’ favourites Kenya met in a winner-takes-all encounter to decide the title and World Championship Series qualification in the final match of a thrilling weekend of sevens rugby.

Brazil’s Camilla Carvalho scored twice in the first half, and player-of-the-tournament Thalia Costa twice in the second as As Yaras pulled off the apparently impossible, winning 24-12 to send the crowd wild, claim gold and the last ticket to the HSBC SVNS World Championship Series. They will join Argentina, South Africa and Spain at the three-tournament World Championship Series in Hong Kong, Valladolid, and Bordeaux.

Led by the remarkable duo of Costa and Yasmim Soares, a brilliant 38-7 victory over already qualified Spain had earlier sent Brazil to the brink of an improbable dream, setting up the winner-takes-all World Championship Series qualification decider in the very last match of the HSBC SVNS 2 Series.

Kenya’s Lionesses had earlier seemed odds on to claim that fourth World Championship Series spot as they claimed a majestic 46-0 win over China. Freshia Oduor scored four, and Faith Livoi weighed in with a double.

Argentina’s 19-5 victory over South Africa had repercussions elsewhere, as it ensured China’s hopes of qualification continued into the final round of matches. But injury-hit South Africa, who had only eight players for the final match, came back from 10-0 down to get the better of China 14-10 to end a difficult tournament on a positive note and end their hopes of qualification.

With Hong Kong beckoning for ever-improving Spain, Denisse Gortazar scored a double as they signed off a successful HSBC SVNS 2 campaign with a 22-7 win over another already-qualified side, Argentina.

The celebrations started early for Uruguay as they held on to beat Belgium 24-19 in the opening match of day two, having been 24-7 up midway through the second half. The result was enough to confirm the South American side’s place in the World Championship Series, alongside USA, Germany and Kenya, who punched their ticket on day one.

But Belgium’s 33-29 victory over Canada in a thoroughly entertaining encounter - Godsmark and Canada’s D’Shawn Bowen both scored braces - meant that the destiny of the Sao Paulo title was to be decided in the match between Kenya and Uruguay. That match ended 26-14 in Kenya’s favour, meaning they finished level on tournament points with Belgium, with the latter’s 14-12 win over the former handing the title to the European side. Kenya had earlier got the better of the USA in the two sides first outing on day two, a double for David Nyagige helping them to a 31-14 victory.

Germany’s difficult Sao Paulo sojourn continued as their seven fit players out of a squad of 12 fought hard against Canada but came off 26-21 second-best.

With mutual qualification assured and the title out of reach, two threadbare squads - USA could name just 10 players for their final match, while Germany were reduced to seven through the second day - the two sides played out an energy-conserving 28-5 win for the North American nation.

Next up for the qualifying sides, the three-tournament HSBC SVNS World Championship Series which kicks off in Hong Kong on 17 April, before moving to Valladolid in May, and finishing up in Bordeaux in June.

HSBC SVNS 2 qualifiers USA, Germany, Kenya and Uruguay will join the eight main HSBC SVNS Series men’s sides - South Africa, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, France, Argentina, Spain and Great Britain - in the draw.

In the women’s competition, qualifying sides Argentina, Spain, South Africa and Brazil will line up alongside core sides New Zealand, Australia, USA, France, Canada, Fiji, Japan and Great Britain.

Scores

South Africa 5 (5), Argentina 19 (14)

SA – Try: Ayanda Malinga.

Argentina – Tries: Azul Medina, María Paula Pedrozo, Francesca Iacaruso. Conversions: Sofia Gonzalez.

South Africa 14 (0), China 10 (10)

SA – Tries: Asisipho Plaatjies, Shanidiné Bezuidenhout. Conversions: Byrhandrè Dolf (2).

China – Tries: Chen Ziying, Hua Beibei.