The Springbok Women’s Sevens team booked their place in the SVNS Division 3 Challenger Series with a 22-0 victory over continental arch-rivals Kenya in the final at the 2025 Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Cup at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi on Sunday, avenging May’s costly defeat.
The defending champions maintained their unbeaten record in the competition, not conceding a single point after seeing off Ghana 48-0 in the cup quarter-final, before accounting for Madagascar with a 29-0 victory in the semi-final.
The Bok Women, led by playmaker Nadine Roos, had scored more than 100 points without conceding in their two Pool A matches and were in equally uncompromising mood as the tournament reached the business end on Sunday.
Hat-trick for Maria Tshiremba as #bokwomen7s cruise into @RugbyAfrique
Cup semis by beating Ghana 48-0#RiseUp pic.twitter.com/2aI3BkQ00T— SA Women’s Rugby (@WomenBoks) November 16, 2025
Speedster Maria Tshiremba continued her blistering form from the opening day, scoring a hat-trick of tries in the victory over Ghana, while their tigerish defence ensured their tryline remained unbreached.
She again proved too hot to handle for the Madagascar defence, her try sandwiched between two from veteran Simamkele Namba in the first half. Zintle Mpupha and Liske Lategan dotted down for Cecil Afrika’s charges in the second stanza, and even a late yellow card for forward Leigh Fortuin did little to disrupt their momentum.
Hosts Kenya had booked their place in the final with a hard-fought 17-10 win over Zambia in the other cup semi-final. That result guaranteed the Springbok Women the sole spot in the Division 3 Challenger tournament in Dubai in January before the final kicked off, as Kenya had already secured their place in SVNS 2 in 2026.
Having achieved that milestone at the expense of the South African team at the HSBC Play-offs in Los Angeles in May, Roos and her power-packed, vastly experienced squad had a chance to gain some measure of revenge on the Lionesses on their home turf.
Champions of Africa, yet again! Well done to the #BokWomen7s who have defended their title without concending a single try in the entire tournament – more here: https://t.co/aiitPj3i49 🏆#RiseUp pic.twitter.com/hUZZkSbU8g
— SA Women’s Rugby (@WomenBoks) November 16, 2025
It was the home team that started brighter, however, with the Boks forced to defend ferociously in the opening few minutes as both sides were tentative. The breakdown area was a massive battleground, with turnovers for both teams.
The breakthrough eventually came when forward Shiniqwa Lamprecht punctured Kenya’s defensive lines with more than a minute left in the first half, Roos converting for a 7-0 lead. The South African side then showed great defensive steel and recovery pace to snuff out potential breaks, preserving their slender lead at the break.
The Bok Women’s substitutes turned the match on its head at the beginning of the second half – Leigh Fortuin, Ayanda Malinga and Flyer Mokone among those injecting fresh energy into the SA attack. Namba was a battering ram with the ball in hand and crossed the whitewash as the Lionesses became increasingly stretched (12-0).
Mokone then showed her pace and power down the left wing to add to her impressive try-scoring record in the tournament, and it was fitting that skipper Roos had the last say, with a sniping run putting the gloss on a comprehensive 22-0 victory. The Rugby World Cup quarter-finalist was justifiably named player of the final.
“I must say credit to all the ladies. They really put in the hard work and believed in the plan management gave them,” Afrika told Rugby Africa, in his post-match TV interview.
“They really put their bodies on the line, showing a lot of care for each other, so we’re really happy with the result. We know the work doesn’t stop there now. Now it’s time to work to make sure we get to SVNS3 and be much more clinical from there to SVNS2.”
