The Springbok Women’s Sevens will leave Los Angeles with their heads held high after recording their best finish thus far in the 2024 World Rugby SVNS Series season when they placed sixth at the fifth tournament of the year this weekend.
The performance also saw them jump to their highest position on the standings, as they moved into tenth position.
Despite defeats on the final day of the tournament to the USA in the Cup quarter-finals and France in the fifth-place playoff, Springbok Women's Sevens head coach Renfred Dazel was full of praise for his squad’s effort over the weekend of rugby, with wins over Fiji and Brazil on day two at Dignity Health Sports Park earning them their best finish of the season.
“We fell away in our last match against France a bit and that was not the way we wanted to finish, but I am very proud of the effort from the squad this weekend,” said Dazel.
“Those two wins were real rewards and even in the Cup quarter-finals, we fought well against the USA in front of their home crowd.”
The move upwards on the log was another plus, while Dazel was also pleased that the weekend's performances came on the second weekend of back-to-back tournaments.
“That was another improvement for us – in the other back-to-back tournament cycle, Dubai and Cape Town, we fell away in the second week,” he said.
Coach Renfred Dazel reflects on a well-fought effort from the #BokWomen7s 👏#RiseUp pic.twitter.com/8xRuJGIplE
— SA Women's Rugby (@WomenBoks) March 4, 2024
“This this time we improved in the second tournament and showed that we can handle the intensity of two tournaments in as many weeks. That was something we wanted to improve on, so it is very rewarding for all involved.”
South Africa lost 24-7 to the USA in the Cup quarter-finals before France outplayed them 53-0 in the playoff.
“That last performance was another lesson learned,” said Dazel. “We coped well in the USA match, but the performance against France was not how we wanted to finish.
“When you play the top five sides in the tournament, you must upgrade your effort even more.
“We did not suffer any significant injuries this weekend, so that is another positive as we will be able to start preparing for the Hong Kong event early in April with a full squad.”
* The bottom four of 12 SVNS teams will play against the top four sides of the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Madrid at the end of May. The top four in that tournament will form part of the series in 2025.
* The current bottom-placed four are Brazil (28 log points), South Africa (18), Japan (16) and Spain (13).
SA Rugby