From Proteas Hockey to Springbok Rugby

Former Proteas hockey player Kayla Swarts and DHL Western Province scrumhalf Alicia Willemse are in line to make their international rugby sevens debuts after being named in the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025.

The series of two tournaments will be played at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on 1-2 and 8-9 March and Springbok Women’s Sevens head coach Renfred Dazel included Swarts and Willemse in his 12-player group for the first tournament.

Swarts represented South Africa in hockey at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris before switching sports and Willemse, who has been training with the Springbok Women XVs team in recent months, will join an experienced group of players for the first tournament. The Challenger Series will be used to determine the top four teams that will try to qualify for next season’s HSBC SVNS.

Mathrin Simmers, South Africa’s most experienced women’s sevens player, will lead the squad, which include a number of dual-code players, such as Nadine Roos, Zintle Mpupha and Ayanda Malinga.

“We sat with the Springbok Women coaching staff to discuss selection as they also have the Rugby World Cup on their radar and some players will be involved in both competitions,” said Dazel. “I am pleased with the way those discussions went as both teams will benefit from our agreements.”

Dazel said Swarts and Willemse will be valuable additions to his squad: “Kayla played for us in the Dubai Invitational tournament and has been training with us since. She is such a natural and it is hard to believe that she still played hockey at the Paris Olympics, such has been her progress.

“Alicia on the other hand, joined us this week due to some injuries we have at sweeper/flyhalf, but she is also a natural and will do well. She has good passing skills, nimble feet and understands space, all of which are requirements to be a good sevens player.”

Dazel believes the experienced core will help them in a tough format and the pressures of playing at home. Simmers will be joined by five other teammates who played in the 2023 Challenger Series in Stellenbosch, where the hosts won both events – Rights Mkhari, Mpupha, Kemisetso Baloyi, Roos and Malinga were part of that group.

Maria Tshiremba, Felicia Jacobs and Shiniqua Lamprecht played in the 2024 HSBC SVNS, while Leigh Fortuin made her debut for the team at the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens last November.

“The format is such that you must win your pool to get into the semi-finals so the pressure will be on all teams from the start,” said Dazel.

“Playing at Athlone Stadium could add to the pressure, but it could also work in our favour. Either way, it remains special for our squad to compete at home in front of their home supporters and I know the team will make the most of it.”

The top eight placed men’s and women’s teams after two weekends of competition at Athlone Stadium will progress to the third round at the Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland on 11-12 April, after which the top four ranked men’s and women’s teams will qualify for the HSBC SVNS Play-off tournament in Los Angeles on 3-4 May.

Challenger pools:

• Pool A: South Africa, Czechia, Hong Kong China
• Pool B Argentina, Thailand, Mexico
• Pool C: Belgium, Uganda, Colombia
• Pool D: Poland, Kenya, Samoa

SA fixtures – Saturday, 1 March:

• 15h55: Hong Kong China
• 19h36: Czechia

Springbok Women Sevens squad for the opening tournament of the Challenger Series:

• Leigh Fortuin
• Zintle Mpupha
• Felicia Jacobs
• Maria Tshiremba
• Kayla Swarts *
• Nadine Roos
• Mathrin Simmers (captain)
• Kemisetso Baloyi
• Shiniqwa Lamprecht
• Ayanda Malinga
• Alicia Willemse *
• Rights Mkhari

* uncapped