Madagascar Qualifies for SVNS3, South Africa Lifts the Africa Men’s 7s in Mauritius

Port Louis, Mauritius – South Africa are back on top of the continent after securing the Africa Men’s Sevens trophy on Sunday, June 22, with a 28-12 win over an impressive Madagascar side that has already qualified for World Rugby’s new HSBC SVNS Division 3 format.

Fielding a developmental side named South Africa ‘A’, the Blitzboks shifted into a higher gear as the tournament progressed, turning on the style to brush aside every opponent on their way to the final.

Jayden Nell, Mfundo Ndlovu, and Ricky Duarte all scored early to give the South Africans a commanding 21-7 halftime lead in the final.

But Madagascar’s flair for the Sevens format shone in the second half. Superb handling, delightful skills and blistering pace saw Andry Alex Fabrice Ranaivoson finish off a brilliant team try.

Then came another moment of magic from 19-year-old Malagasy sensation Mamy Ranaivoarison. The diminutive and elusive winger delivered a dazzling solo try to leave no doubt in the minds of the adjudicators that he was the rightful Player of the Tournament.

With the score at 21-12, South Africa wrapped up the game with Jayden Nell’s second try in the dying moments, replacing Uganda as the new champions of the continent in the short format.

Earlier, Madagascar booked their place in the third division of the prestigious SVNS with a hard-fought 14-10 semi-final win over Kenya. The winner of the Rugby Africa Cup Men’s Sevens normally qualifies for SVNS, but with South Africa already competing in the top division of the global series, Madagascar’s qualification was confirmed when they reached the final.

Rado Randrianaliso and Mamy Ranaivoarison both scored well-worked team tries as Madagascar came from behind to stun a Kenyan developmental side, sent by the East Africans to gain experience in this tournament.

Jackson Siketi and Chrissant Ojwang crossed over for Kenya in a match filled with constant momentum shifts.

Earlier in the day, South Africa fended off the challenge of neighbours Zimbabwe, who defended heroically to ensure a respectable 19-12 final score.

The Blitzboks leaned heavily on their kick-offs, with the polished Ricky Duarte outstanding on re-starts for the South Africans, who also succeeded in starving the powerful Zimbabweans of possession.

The livewire South African winger Sebastian Jobb led with a brace of tries, building on his hat-trick in the 26-0 quarter-final win over Uganda. Mfundo Ndlovu had opened the scoring for the Blitzboks, while Zimbabwe responded through the free scoring pair of Dion Khumalo and Edward Sigauke.

To reach the semis, Zimbabwe eased past Ghana 36-0 with tries by double scorer Edward Sigauke (2), captain Tapiwa Malenga, Godfrey Magaramombe, Ryan Musumhi and Dion Khumalo.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s admirable fighting spirit secured them third place after refusing to give up in the bronze medal contest, despite Kenya racing to a 12-0 lead.

Kenya looked set for third place at 19-14, but Zimbabwe kept pressing until the very end. With virtually the last play of the game, the lively Trevor Gurwe sliced through under the posts and converted his own try to stun the East Africans 21-19.

Organised by Rugby Africa, the continental governing body for rugby in Africa, in partnership with the Mauritius Rugby Union, the tournament featured Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Zambia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, 2024 Champions Uganda and host nation Mauritius.

Match Day 1: Saturday 21 June 2025 (Local Time) (GMT+4)