Bok Women's Sevens left with tough task after disappointing end in Hong Kong

Bok Women's Sevens left with tough task after disappointing end in Hong Kong

The Springbok Women's Sevens finished their SVNS Hong Kong campaign on a disappointing note after being outplayed 25-10 by Argentina on Sunday.

The result means they finish in 12th spot overall for the weekend, and now have a mountain to climb in the remaining two HSBC SVNS World Championship events in Spain and France if they want to finish in the top eight and regain core status for next season.

The South Americans, who have now beaten their South African counterparts three times in a row, had too much intensity on attack and scored five tries to two, with three first-half five-pointers handing them a 15-0 lead at the break.

Their ability to keep the ball in hand and attack isolated defenders worked wonders, while some defensive efforts by the Bok Women were also meek, to say the least. The three first-half tries all came from constructive play.

The Bok Women worked their way back into the game and it was clear that they needed the first points in the second half. This came when leading strike weapon Maria Tshiremba ran onto a kick by Eloise Webb and scored, but the South Africans then messed up the restart and Argentina could score their fourth try.

Adjusting their attack to what was working, Zintle Mpupha scored next following another long kick ahead. The original bounce missed Tshiremba, but Mpupha was there to follow up her own kick and she dotted down, giving the team a glimmer of hope.

That hope was dashed as Argentina kept control of the ball for the last minute and on the buzzer, scored their fifth try to complete a dominating win.

Scorers:

South Africa 10 (0) - Tries: Maria Tshiremba, Zintle Mpupha.

Argentina 25 (15) - Tries: Marianela Escalante, Sofia Gonzalez, Maria Brigido Chamorro, Talia Rodich, Azul Medina.

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