Bok Women Sevens face must-win Sunday clash after disappointing Pool B finish

A rash of penalties and two yellow cards tripped up the South Africans, resulting in a disappointing 24-0 defeat in their final Pool B encounter of the HSBC SVNS Madrid tournament.

The result means a second placed finish in their pool and a crucial clash against either Spain or Japan on Sunday, a result that will determine if South Africa will retain their core status for the 2025 season.

The Bok Women never got out of the blocks against Brazil, a team they beat in their last encounter in Los Angeles. They conceded two early tries and gave away nine consecutive penalties â- mostly at the breakdown â- against an opponent that played with a lot more wisdom in the match.

Bianca Silva scored in the opening minute and some loose defence resulted in Thalia Costa bagging a second two minutes later. A Raquel Kochhann try handed Brazil a 19-0 lead at the break.

The South Africans never fired a shot on attack and yellow cards to Liske Lategan and Sizophila Solontsi added to their misery. A second Costa try late in the second half completed the rout.

Cecil Afrika, the team's assistant coach, said afterwards it was a below par performance: "We were soft on defence and never had the ball to attack, and when we did, we kicked it away. That was a poor performance and we all know that.

"Let's hope we come out tomorrow with the desperation needed to win this game. We will see how much the team really wants it in that match. Effort and attitude will determine our fate."

The Springbok Women's Sevens will have to show much more discipline on Sunday if they have any hopes of winning their quarter-final at 15h32.

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