South Africa women’s seven-a-side team came to the Rugby Football Union of East Africa ground, saw and conquered to retain the Rugby Africa title they have won for the past 11 times.

Their win was a statement performance by a star-studded team that included players who recently defied all odds to reach the quarter final of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England. The team coached by Cecil Afrika and captained by Nadine Roos – the South Africa Women’s Player of the Year – scored a massive 212 points and conceded none in the two-day competition.

South Africa, the top seeds started their campaign with a statement 68-0 drubbing of Mauritius before overcoming Zimbabwe 45-0 to finish top of Pool A. For Afrika, it was a dream start and what they had planned.

On the second day, South Africa continued from where they had left with an easy 48-0 win over Ghana and another flawless 29-0 performance over Madagascar in the cup semis. In the final, they completely neutralized Kenya’s threats before posting a 22-0 win.

Tier Three Qualification

After the win that saw South Africa clinch a place in the World Rugby Sevens Tier three competition, Roos said this was a journey to get back to the top competition.  

Hosts Kenya had a lukewarm performance characterized by a squeaking 44-0 win over a physical Ivory Coast in the opening match and a 37-0 win over Ghana to finish top of Pool B. Kenya’s first test was against a youthful Zimbabwe side who put up a good fight before losing 12-33.

But, Kenya’s first real challenge was a regional derby against a well-drilled Uganda’s Lady Cranes in the semi-finals. A repeat of the final of Safari Sevens saw a close 17-10 win for Kenya who soaked up pressure before losing to South Africa in the final.

Top Seeds

As expected, the top four seeds had no difficulty topping their pools and reaching the knock-out phase where at the end of the competition, the pecking order remained the same. South Africa finished top with Kenya, Uganda and Madagascar following in that order.

There were major milestones achieved at the tournament with Egypt making their first appearance at the continental event. Rugby Africa also made a statement by ensuring the referees at the tournament reflected the growth of the women’s game. Hether this will trickle down to the technical bench remains a work in progress.

Draw 

Pool A: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mauritius.

Pool B: Kenya, Ghana, Ivory Coast.

Pool C: Uganda, Zambia, Burkina Faso. 

Pool D: Madagascar, Tunisia, Egypt.

Match Day 1 Results: Tunisia 22 Egypt 0, Zambia 52 Burkina Faso 0, Ghana 57 Ivory Coast 0, Zimbabwe 29 Mauritius 5, Madagascar 32 Egypt 7, Uganda 50 Burkina Faso 0, Kenya 44 Ivory Coast 0, South Africa 68 Mauritius 0, Madagascar 21 Tunisia 14, Uganda 20 Zambia 14, South Africa 45 Zimbabwe 0, Kenya 37 Ghana 0

Match Day 2 Results

Cup quarter finals: South Africa 48 Ghana 0, Madagascar 17 Zambia 7, Uganda 31 Tunisia 12, Kenya 33 Zimbabwe 12; Semi-finals: South Africa 29 Madagascar 0, Uganda 10 Kenya 17; Play off: Madagascar 12 Uganda 38; Final: South Africa 22 Kenya 0; Fifth Place semi-finals: Ghana 0 Zambia 7, Tunisia 22 Zimbabwe 0; Final: Zambia 14 Tunisia 19; Seventh  Place final: Ghana 12 Zimbabwe 19;  Ninth place play-off: Mauritius 22 Egypt 7, Ivory Coast 5 Burkina Faso 10; Final: Mauritius 34 Burkina Faso 0: Eleventh Place play-off: Egypt 12 Ivory Coast 5.Ranking: South Africa, Kenya. Uganda, Madagascar, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Mauritius, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ivory Coast.