The Springbok Women's Sevens were handed a challenging draw for the Africa Women's Sevens in Ghana, where they will face Tunisia, Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso in Pool A.
The top three teams at the tournament, which will take place in Accra on 9 and 10 November, will qualify for the World Rugby Challenger Series next year.
Kenya, who contested the final with South Africa last year in Tunisia, will face Madagascar, Ghana and Mauritius in Pool B, while Uganda, Zambia, Senegal and Côte D’Ivoire will play in Pool C
South Africa, who have won all 11 previous Africa Women's Sevens events they played in, have started their preparations in defence of their title at their home base in Stellenbosch already.
Tunisia, Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso will await the #BokWomen7s in their pool of the Africa Women's Sevens in Ghana next month - more here: https://t.co/2Y8ZBkCrrd 🌍#RiseUp pic.twitter.com/UcGwTvbqLK
— SA Women's Rugby (@WomenBoks) October 25, 2024
According to the team’s head coach, Renfred Dazel, they are determined to arrive in Accra totally prepared for the tournament, to be played at the Rugby Stadium at the University of Ghana. The venue, the first purpose built rugby stadium in the country, hosted the 2023 African Games.
Dazel said the early focus of their camps post the Olympic Games was on development, as new players were brought into camp in order to expand their playing base. A number of Olympians were also drafted into the Springbok Women squad for the recently held WXV 2 in Cape Town.
But now it’s all hands on deck now for the African showpiece, with the draw showing just how competitive the women's game in Africa is becoming, Dazel said.
“We have had some very close results in recent years and the standard of rugby is improving every time we travel to this tournament,” said Dazel. “With a new venue this time around as well, it is great to be part of the growth of the game on the continent.”
The Bok Women have regrouped well since their last outing – beating Fiji in their final match at the Olympic Games in Paris – and the focus is on getting everyone on the same page.
“We have some experienced players back into the fold after WXV and they have slotted in well, while at the same time we are able to expose the newer group of players to the intensity and pace of sevens rugby at international level,” said Dazel.
“This tournament is crucial for us as we start our mission to get back onto the world series via the Challenger Series and we are not taking any chances or short cuts. We will travel to Ghana as best prepared as we can be.”
Pool matches will be played on Saturday 9 November, with the knock-out matches on Sunday, 10 November. The match schedule will be announced on Monday, 4 November. South Africa will depart for Ghana on 6 November.
The pools are:
Pool A: South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso
Pool B: Kenya, Madagascar, Ghana, Mauritius
Pool C: Uganda, Zambia, Senegal, Côte D’Ivoire