Overview
- South Africa were drawn in Pool A with Mexico, Czechia and Thailand, with their immediate attention on the opener against Mexico.
- Coach Cecil Afrika flagged Mexico’s unpredictability, a physically intense Czechia, and a precise, high-tempo Thailand with speed at the breakdown.
- Afrika retained the squad that won the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens in Nairobi in November, with Nadine Roos captaining in Dubai.
- The two finalists in Dubai earn promotion to SVNS 2 in Nairobi, Montevideo and São Paulo between February and March, where a top-four finish leads to the World Championship Series.
- Roos framed qualification as vital to sustaining and shaping the national sevens programme, underscoring a process-first approach to each match.