Northern | US

Maria Tshiremba's simple Springboks message ahead of SVNS 2 finale

Maria Tshiremba plays during the rugby game between South Africa 7s and Poland 7s in Krakow, Poland, on April 11, 2025. This is the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series, Women's tournament match at Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow. (Photo by Marcin Golba/NurPhoto)

Maria Tshiremba’s message for her Springbok Women’s Sevens teammates is simple ahead of the HSBC SVNS 2 finale in São Paulo.

ADVERTISEMENT

Even after a third-place finish in Montevideo last weekend secured a place at HSBC SVNS World Championship events in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux, the 30-year-old wants to enjoy a dominant weekend in Brazil to end the second tier competition on a high.

“But the work is not done,” Tshiremba said. “It is our aim to finish SVNS 2 on the strongest possible terms. A win will not only be reward for our hard work, but will also improve our confidence going to Hong Kong.”

VIDEO

Time in Uruguay was bookended with losses to Spain and Argentina last weekend. Springboks head coach Cecil Afrika maligned the 14 minutes of rugby that meant his team did not finish any higher on the podium.

“We did not defend well enough against Argentina [22-10 loss],” she said. “They play a very good offloading game and that created gaps in our defence.

“For us to fix that, we need more dominant tackles and that is something we had worked on this week.

“But it is not Argentina only, we must make sure we are accurate against all our opponents, each of them deserve our respect and our A-game.”

ADVERTISEMENT

So far this season Tshiremba has been a star for South Africa’s women. After HSBC SVNS 3 in Dubai, and SVNS 2 events in Nairobi and Montevideo she has scored 11 tries.

But even with such strong solo form, the 2024 Olympian refuses to take the plaudits and credited her team with providing try scoring opportunities.

“Yes, I am getting more confident the more tries I have scored – I am trusting my ability to beat opponents and how to use my speed effectively,” Tshiremba said.

“But I still need my teammates to create the gaps for me to run into them, so every try is also a testimony of their hard work.”

ADVERTISEMENT

RugbyPass App Download

News, stats, live rugby and more! Download the new RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now!


Whether you’re looking for somewhere to track upcoming fixtures, a place to watch live rugby or an app that shows you all of the latest news and analysis, the RugbyPass rugby app is perfect.

ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

Close Panel
Close Panel

Edition & Time Zone

{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezone}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Close Panel

Editions

Close Panel

Change Time Zone

Close
ADVERTISEMENT