Springbok Women’s Sevens coach Renfred Dazel has included the uncapped Zandile Masuku in his squad for the next HSBC SVNS tournament, in Hong Kong from 5 to 7 April, while Kyla de Vries is back after missing the North American leg due to injury.
De Vries, who last featured in Perth in January, takes over from Bianca Augustyn, and Masuku will travel to the Far East in place of Marlize de Bruin.
While she is yet to play in a HSBC SVNS event, Masuku is not new to the national sevens set-up. Last year, she featured for the Springbok Women’s Sevens ‘A’ team in Dubai in December, while she also played in the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in April, and in 2022 she played in the Commonwealth Games in England.
Dazel said that while continuity in selection would have been good for his squad, he expected De Vries and Masuku to slot in seamlessly as they had been part of the wider training squad for the season.
The team aims to build on its performance in Los Angeles, where the South Africans finished in sixth position after making the quarter-finals for the first time this season.
“We made a big step-up in performance in North America and the challenge now will be to back that up with more of the same when we get to Hong Kong,” said Dazel.
“It’s good to welcome Kyla back after she missed out on travelling to North America, while Zandile has been part of our training squad and deserves an opportunity to make her world series debut for the team.
“We all realise the importance of this trip, as points will be crucial if we are to reach our season goal, which is to finish in the top-eight and automatically qualify for the 2025 world series.”
The Bok Women will be joined in Pool B by the experienced Australian team, as well as Ireland and Fiji.
“If we play to our full potential, there is no reason why we can’t reach the quarter-finals again, but everyone in the squad realises we have to deliver where it matters, and that is in our three pool matches,” said Dazel.
“All three our pool matches will be tough, but we will take them one at a time and ensure we don’t get ahead of ourselves. Playing in Hong Kong is special and I want the girls to experience the amazing atmosphere while also giving their all on the field.”
Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for Hong Kong:
Forwards:
Zintle Mpupha (co-captain) – 9 tournaments, 55 points
Shiniqwa Lamprecht – 5 tournaments, 0 points
Kyla de Vries – 3 tournaments, 0 points
Kemisetso Baloyi – 5 tournaments, 0 points
Simamkele Namba – 6 tournaments, 10 points
Shona-Leah Weston – 6 tournaments, 5 points
Liske Lategan – 7 tournaments, 15 points
Backs:
Mathrin Simmers (co-captain) – 18 tournaments, 35 points
Nadine Roos – 10 tournaments, 165 points
Ayanda Malinga – 5 tournaments, 40 points
Zandile Masuku – uncapped
Alichia Arries – 3 tournaments, 0 points
Eloise Webb – 7 tournaments, 7 points
Mercury Reborn
South Africa also has a women’s national cricket team—they’re currently 6th in the rankings!
Howitzer Rise
Still on the subject of cricket superstitions, the player with the most rituals performed during a match is arguably Neil McKenzie of South Africa. Before a game, for example, he would attach his cricket bat to the ceiling with tape. When it’s time for him to bat, he would check all the changing room lights to make sure they were shut off and that the toilet seats were down.