Heartbreak for Bok Women's Sevens as they lose core status

The South Africans clearly felt the pressure of the knock-out phase of the final tournament of the season and conceded four tries without firing any real shots. Spain, spurred on by a lively home crowd, scored two tries on each side of the halftime break, a clear indication of their dominance in this game.

The Spanish were on the attack from the outset and although the Bok Women defended well, the host team hit gaps and after four minutes, Juana Stella scored their first try. South Africa got their hands on the ball, but more mistakes followed and a try by Paula Requena after hooter saw Spain finish the first half with a 10-0 lead.

Requena's second try, 90 seconds into the second half, all but sealed the deal for the Spanish, and although South Africa had a few more opportunities, they were let down by their handling, with too many knock-ons costing them dearly.

Beatriz Dominguez then put the final nail in the South African coffin with a break-out try from their own 22, to ensure Spain play on the World Series again next season, even though they finished one spot lower than the Bok Women in 2024.

South Africa won three out of five times against Spain during the 2024 season, but looked nothing like the team that started the tournament with two dominant performances on Friday and failed to gain asendency in any area of play.

Their defence was frantic, they conceded numerous penalties at the breakdown and hardly worked themselves into attacking positions, and when they did, handling errors came at a huge cost.

Spain played with much more composure, passion and direction in the most important match of the season for both teams.

Scorers:

South Africa 0

Spain 22 (10) - Tries: Juana Stella, Paula Requena (2), Beatriz Dominguez. Conversion: Stella.

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