SA women finding their feet
MANY purists may not want to admit this, but if it weren’t for Sevens Rugby, the 15-man code would have been constricting itself.
While countries like New Zealand, Australia, Russia and England do their best to keep the game alive, it is their women’s teams that give the tournament a different flavour and an inclusive feel.
It is in that order in which they finished their section of the tournament on a delicately warm Friday evening with New Zealand getting a measure of revenge over their Tasman rivals after losing out to them at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Where was the South African national women’s sevens team in this mix? Well, they finished in eighth position after losing to New Zealand 39-0 in the cup quarterfinals before further losses to Canada and France in the lower-stage playoffs.
For the men’s side, this would be seen as utter failure, especially with the Blitzboks being the paragon of consistency despite not winning the Sevens World Series last season.
It is the kind of consistency the women’s team could do with, even though they showed some improvement, but what is clear is that there is a gulf between the top four women’s sides and the rest.
Unlike in Australia, New Zealand and England, where there is significant investment in women’s rugby, the South African women’s side will not be able to take the same strides.
There was tactical adaptability, panache, flair and intensity in the Women’s Cup semifinals, third-place playoff and final that’s often seen in the men’s arena.
Those are elements honed through consistent exposure to high skill levels at domestic rugby, something missing in South Africa even though the participants are not to blame.
While the South African women’s cricket team and their football counterparts have benefited from considerable financial backing and the growing strength of their respective domestic nurseries, the same needs to be applied with the women’s team while following the men’s model of having Sevens specialists.
The likes of Phumeza Momoti and Zintle Mpupha will have a big role to play in the development of the side even though they still have a long way to go in terms of emulating Australia and New Zealand.
They may not be on the inspirational level of New Zealand’s Portia Woodman or Australia’s Charlotte Caslick, but they can be the catalysts from which the women’s team can hope to do better.
Their quarterfinal exit was a start they can improve from. There’s still a long road that Renfred Dazel and his charges need to plough, but nothing worthwhile was ever completed overnight. Tshwaku was in Dubai courtesy of TAG Heuer