RUGBY AFRICA CUP

South Africa outlast Kenya Lionesses to win 2024 Rugby Africa Women’s 7s

By Amanga collins

Posted on November 10, 2024

South Africa line up ahead of the Kenya Lionesses match. Photo. Sprinboks women

South Africa edged out a resilient Kenya Lionesses 19-10 to retain their Rugby Africa Women’s 7s title in the final played in Ghana on Sunday.

This victory marked a repeat of last year’s final, where South Africa triumphed 12-7 to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in their history.

South Africa unbeaten

Heading into the final, both South Africa and the Lionesses were unbeaten, having won all their matches in the tournament. South Africa had particularly impressed, going through their first five matches without conceding a single point.

The match started with the Lionesses controlling possession early on, earning a penalty in South Africa’s 22-meter area. They moved the ball quickly to the left, finding Stella Wafula on the right, who accelerated past the defense to become the first player to score against South Africa in the tournament, putting Kenya ahead.

South Africa responded when Mathrin Simmers broke through and set up an unmarked Ayanda Malinga, who dotted down for the equalizer, making it 5-5.

The South Africa then suffered a setback when Malinga was yellow-carded for a high tackle, but South Africa held firm, managing to keep the score level at halftime despite being a player down.

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In the second half, the Lionesses took the lead once again when Sinaida Nyachio made a brilliant darting run, faking a short ball before quickly releasing the pass to Sharon Auma, who raced over to score, putting Kenya ahead 10-5.

However, South Africa responded perfectly. Zintle Mpupha sold a dummy and broke free before setting up Felicia Jacobs, who sprinted clear to score under the posts, giving South Africa a 12-10 lead.

Mpupha was later yellow-carded for a foul, but the Lionesses failed to capitalize on the numerical advantage.

Instead, they lost possession in attack, and once Mpupha returned to the field, she set up Jacobs for the decisive try, sealing the win at 19-10.

In the third-place playoff, Uganda secured a 17-5 victory over Madagascar, earning themselves a spot in the Challenger Series alongside Kenya and South Africa, both of whom had already qualified.