Simmers praises teammates for Krakow glory

Springbok Women's Sevens captain Mathrin Simmers heaped praised on her team after they closed out the last of three World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger tournaments, in Krakow, Poland, with their first victory in the trio of events.

Simmers said the 21-12 victory over Argentina in the final and a very impressive 22-10 win over Kenya in the semifinal were just reward as the players “really brought it today”.

“We finally got it right,” she said after the final. “Third and then second in Cape Town and now a victory in Krakow – the shows the improvement and determination we had in the squad today. We were not going to be denied again.”

Simmers said the growth over the last couple of tournaments helped them to get it over the line on Saturday.

“We have learned a lot from previous tournaments and that played an important role in our success today,” she said.

“The standard of play in this Challenger has also improved tremendously from the early ones and this is a highly competitive tournament now where you have to be at your best to do well.”

Mathrin Simmers was delighted and rightly so after the #BokWomen7s finally turned the tables in the #7sChallengerSeries - more here: https://t.co/RP0ICz3ngA 💚💛#RiseUp pic.twitter.com/Gjvy3HWSCV

— SA Women's Rugby (@WomenBoks) April 12, 2025

She feels the quality is such that the four teams who qualified to travel to Los Angeles in May will have a realistic chance to topple the bottom four HSBC SVNS sides, who will compete with them to determine places in the 2026 World Series.

Simmers also had a special word for Nadine Roos, who once again excelled, leading her team to the gold medal with a series of amazing performances.

“Nadine is such a special player and a team player at that – she simply does not stop, and she refuses to give up,” said Simmers.

“It is very special to have such a player in your team that will never stop fighting for us. It is a huge plus to have her on our team and not have to play against her.”

Roos, Zintle Mpupha and Ayanda Malinga will join the Springbok Women in Spain on Sunday for next weekend's test against their hosts in Alicante and for Simmers the silverware will also boost them.

“It is a massive year for our Springbok Women and women’s rugby in general and wins like these just boost the exposure and confidence among players in both codes,” she said.

“I have no doubt that this win will boost the Springbok Women as well, going to the Rugby World Cup in England.”