After winning the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens regional qualifying competition in Tunisia, the women’s sevens squad from Africa may now look forward to competing in their first Olympics.
After representing the region in Rio and Tokyo, Kenya pushed them all the way in the Monastir final as they attempted to secure a spot at a third Olympics.
However, the Lionesses fell short, losing 12–7, and will now have to compete in the replay alongside Uganda, who finished in third place, in an attempt to keep their unbeaten record.
During the two-day competition, Nadine Roos was South Africa’s standout performer, scoring nine tries and kicking ten conversions, including her team’s first score in the championship game. With Roos scoring 37 of their points, South Africa easily defeated Zimbabwe (26-0), Uganda (19-0), and Tunisia (27-7) on the first day of play.
The Springbok Women’s Sevens defeated Zambia 31-0 in the semifinal to set up a date with Kenya thanks to a Roos hat-trick on day two. The Lionesses had begun their campaign with two impressive victories, scoring 68 points without a response against Zambia and Ghana. However, in their last pool match against Madagascar, they narrowly prevailed 20-17.
Dennis Mwanja’s team defeated Uganda 27-0 in the semifinal, making their way into the championship game with a lot more confidence.
Renfred Dazel, the head coach of South Africa, expressed his happiness at the players’ ability to make history and eventually earn an Olympic spot.
Source: World Rugby
