The SA Select Women’s Sevens team, with several Blue Bulls-girls in their midst, scored a historic 14-7 win over France in the final of the Hong Kong Women’s Sevens Invitational Cup in the Hong Kong Stadium this weekend.

The Cup final win is a first ever a South African team at the famous venue, something coach Renfred Dazel was very pleased about.

“This was a very important and significant win for us. It is the first time that a South African team has won any title here and hopefully this is a good omen for the men come Sunday,” Dazel said.

He added: “I joked to Neil Powell (Springbok Sevens coach) that we have now warmed the pitch for them, so I hope they do well.”

Dazel praised his players for the great effort, which saw them winning matches against France and Japan earlier on Friday.

“I told the girls they have achieved what no other SA team could do and that they can really be proud of themselves. This is also an important win for a lot of people at SA Rugby, as they work very hard behind the scenes to prepare the team. I am sure this victory will also lift the confidence and the profile of our team,” explains Dazel.

He was particularly impressed by the fightback shown by his charges following their defeat against Kazakhstan in pool play on Thursday.

“The girls were gutted after that loss, but look how they have responded, beating France twice and also Japan earlier today.”

Dazel included four new players for this tournament and he feels their energy had the desired effect.

“I am happy with their effort, they slotted in very well and definitely brought a nice vibe and energy to the team. Nadine Roos chased hard, ran all day long and really played well. Hopefully they will learn a lot from this tournament. We can still improve as there are more things we can improve and work on,” according to Dazel.

The next assignment for the team will be in three weeks in France and then the Roma Sevens in June, where Dazel plans to rope in more new players.