Ayanda Malinga's quickfire brace against Brazil in Sao Paulo on Saturday ensured the Springbok Women's Sevens ended day one on a high.
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The Springbok Women’s Sevens endured a bruising start to their HSBC SVNS 2 campaign in Sao Paulo on Saturday, but showed admirable resolve to finish the day on a high with a convincing win over the hosts.
South Africa opened with back-to-back defeats, going down 19-5 to Spain before suffering a 14-5 loss to Kenya in a frustrating double setback at Estádio Nicolau Alayon. However, they regrouped impressively to beat Brazil 26-12, restoring pride and momentum heading into Sunday’s fixtures.
The early signs were worrying. A revamped starting line-up struggled to find cohesion in the opener against Spain, with a combination of system errors and poor execution stalling any attacking fluency. Spain, by contrast, were clinical, making the most of limited chances as South Africa failed to gain a foothold.
The situation on day one was compounded by injury concerns, most notably to captain Nadine Roos, whose knee problem disrupted an already disjointed performance. The Bok Women never truly got going, lacking their usual intensity and sharpness.
Their second clash, against familiar rivals Kenya, followed a similarly scrappy pattern. In a typically physical encounter, Kenya edged the first half through the only try, capitalising on South African errors. Although Asisipho Plaatjies responded midway through the contest, a long-range effort from Freshia Oduor ultimately proved decisive as the African bragging rights slipped away.
With confidence wavering and the injury list growing – Shannon-Lee Windvogel and Simamkele Namba also sidelined, while Maceala Samboya limped off early – South Africa needed a response against Brazil. They duly delivered.
Sparked by Ayanda Malinga, the Bok Women finally found their rhythm. Malinga struck twice in quick succession to seize control of the match, and with improved ball retention and greater attacking intent, South Africa began to stretch the hosts. Two further tries in the second half sealed a deserved victory and injected fresh belief into Cecil Afrika's squad.
Having already qualified for the World Championship, the South Africans arrived in Brazil looking to make a statement in the final tournament of the series. While their start fell short of that ambition, their strong finish suggests they remain a dangerous side when they hit their stride.
They will look to carry that momentum into Sunday’s clashes against Argentina and China, where a more consistent performance could yet turn a mixed opening day into a successful campaign.