The Springbok Women's Sevens delivered a determined performance at the Valladolid Sevens in Spain, finishing ninth and keeping their hopes of securing core status in the HSBC SVNS Series alive.South Africa arrived at the tournament at the bottom of the World Championship standings and were in urgent need of wins.Despite early losses to Australia and the US, the team showed improvement, pushing Fiji to a close 17-12 defeat.

Their resilience was evident in the ninth-place semi-final against Argentina, where they broke a four-game losing streak with a 19-17 victory, thanks to key plays from Byrhandré Dolf, Eloise Webb, Ayanda Malinga, and captain Zintle Mpupha.

In the ninth-place play-off against Brazil, the Boks came from behind, overcoming a 7-0 deficit and coping with Dolf's head injury, to secure a 19-12 win.

This result lifted them to 10th in the overall standings, just above Argentina and Great Britain, giving them momentum and renewed belief ahead of the final round in Bordeaux.Coach Cecil Afrika praised the team for their improved performances and stressed their ambition to break into the top eight sides.The tournament highlighted both their attacking potential and the need to reduce costly errors if they are to succeed in future competitions.