2019 Rugby Africa Women’s Seven Kicks Off its First Day on a High Note
By Winston Mwale
The twelve participating African teams embark on their journey towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as the first day of the 2019 Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens kicks off in Monastir, Tunisia
MONASTIR, Tunisia, October 13, 2019/ -- The first day of the Africa Women’s Sevens has come to an end in the coastal city of Monastir, Tunisia.
12 teams have set off on the first day of their two-day journey to seek a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics World Rugby Sevens Series.
Morocco and Madagascar were the first two teams to kick things off. The Northern Africans suffered a 34-00 defeat on the hands of the Malagasy.
Hosts Tunisia defeated Mauritius 38-0. Zimbabwe beat Zambia by a small Margin of 5 points. The final score was 12-7.
Uganda lost 32-00 to the South African Rugby Veterans while Senegal were able to overcome Botswana 19-10.
First timers Ghana clashed against defending champions, Kenya. Ghana suffered a 36-00 defeat.
The first round of the games ended on a positive note for many. The teams and officials soon resumed play after a short 22 minutes break between sessions.
As the day progressed, the Tunisian sun rose higher, and so did the team spirits. The second round of games resumed after the break with the Malagasy beating Mauritius 41-00.
It was a 100 per cent North African Derby between Tunisia and Morocco. The host claimed a hefty 31-00 victory.
The Southern Africans continued their winning streak, this time beating Zimbabwe 31-00 as well.
Uganda and Zambia was a close call. The odds favoured Uganda at the end when they managed to snatch a 15-10 victory.
Ghana suffered its second defeat of the day on the hands of Senegal 17-10.
The Kenyans were on fire today, they claimed the largest victory of the day, beating Botswana 51-00.
It was the second break of the day. Players and officials caught another quick 22-minute break to grab a few drinks and get something to eat.
The break seems to have done wonders for the Moroccans who got their first victory over Mauritius 41-00.
The Hosts suffered their first defeat of the day against Madascar 07-14.
South Africa got the full mark after winning their 3rd and final game of the day against Zambia. The 36-00 victory meant the South Africans maintained a clear sheet throughout the day.
The least goals were scored in the Uganda vs Zimbabwe game where Uganda won 10-05.
The newcomers, Ghana were able to get their first victory at the last moment of the game. They went back and forth for a while against Botswana but eventually managed to swing the odds in their favour, winning 12-10.
The games will continue tomorrow as well as the best teams will continue to compete for a chance to win a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the World Rugby Sevens Series.
Reactions
Lovemore Kuzorera (Head Coach, Ghana)
“It was a good day for us, a new experience. Most of the girls on our team are not so experienced yet. I’m happy about their performance today. We played well against defending champion Kenya and managed to hold them for a while. It was an achievement for us. We have accomplished the goals we set off here to accomplish. We know tomorrow will be a tough day, but we take each game as it comes.”
Felix Oloo (Head Coach, Kenya)
“The teams have stepped up. I’m very happy that all the teams are playing good rugby. In the beginning we were sluggish, but we picked it up from the first game to the last game. Going forward, we are looking at every game individually. We treat every game as if it were the final, they are equally important. It won’t be easy.”
Paul Delport (Head Coach, South Africa)
“All the teams have been on top and it’s definitely an improvement in many teams’ play and rugby standards so that is fantastic to see. We need to work on a few things for tomorrow. We still do not know who our opponents will be, but our only focus is on the quarter final tomorrow.”