'It's the dedication that stands out to me': Afrika praises Boks skipper Roos

Nadine Roos’ presence in the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad has never been more important.

As the captain of Cecil Afrika’s South Africa side her influence has meant that the team have only lost once in 10 matches so far in 2026. That solitary defeat came at the hands of Brazil in the opening HSBC SVNS 2 tournament of the season.

In many ways the loss consigned the team to second-place at the end of two days of action in Nairobi. Even if they did beat eventual gold medallists Argentina in their final game of the weekend.

It was a decade ago that Roos made her Springbok Sevens debut. In the years since she has been her nation’s most influential player in rugby sevens and the 15-a-side game. The 29-year-old has also been named SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year twice.

“I think it’s the dedication that really stands out to me, like the work that she puts in on the field, the discipline, the commitment,” Cecil Afrika told Daily Maverick.

“You can see every game that she plays, she gives literally everything, and you can see through the way she plays what it means to her.

“We truly blessed to have her as a leader. Nadine is more of a show type of leader in the way she leads, the way she plays, the way she trains, and she inspires the team with that type of leadership. The team follows her with her intensity, and then they feed off that energy.”

In just two 2026 tournaments Roos has amassed a tally of 75 points. She has even racked up a 74 per cent conversion rate.

Her form, right off the back of representing South Africa at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, has been nothing short of staggering. So it is little wonder why Afrika, an ace game-manager in his playing days, cannot fathom a world in which Roos is not in his team.

“It’s of the utmost importance to make sure that you bring the intensity where it’s needed, but we are also about managing the game well; knowing when to bring the intensity and when to slow the game down,” Afrika said.

“I think [Roos] finds the balance really well. She knows when to pick up intensity and when to slow it, because obviously you can’t go from minute one to minute 14 with high intensity.

“It’s just depending on the defensive side of things, we bring a lot of intensity, and then when we have the opportunity to really get the ball in the pack, and then we manage the game nicely and convert our opportunities into points.

“But with her leadership, she knows when to bring intensity to the game and slow the game down, and then the rest of her teammates just follow with that.”

Next up for Roos and the Springbok Women’s Sevens is further HSBC SVNS 2 trips to Montevideo and São Paulo. It is in South America where the team can secure a top four finish and a place at the HSBC SVNS World Championship.

From there the team can stake a claim for HSBC SVNS Series core status and return to the top tier for the first time since the 2023/24 season.

“We know that the intensity is going to be much higher and the physicality is going to be much higher,” said Afrika.

“I think it’s about being much more clinical in all the aspects of our game, especially from the defensive side of things. The speed at SVNS 1 and globally is quite fast, so we’ve got to be disciplined there.”