ATHLONE STADIUM HOSTS HSBC SEVENS CHALLENGER
Athlone Stadium, one of Cape Town’s most iconic sports venues, will host the HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025.
Played over two weekends, 1- 2 March and 7 – 8 March 2025, the Sevens Challenger will feature 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams, with Springbok Women’s Sevens team among the competitors.
The tournament is a crucial part of the qualification process for the HSBC Sevens World Series, with the top eight teams from both the men’s and women’s divisions advancing to the third round in Poland.
From there, the top four teams will secure a spot in the HSBC SVNS Play-Offs in Los Angeles on 3 and 4 May.
Athlone Stadium is no stranger to World Rugby events, having hosted the WXV 2 and the Under 20 Championship for the last two years.
With its intimate atmosphere and passionate home crowd, Athlone Stadium will provide an electric backdrop for the competition.
BOK WOMEN SEVENS
The two-weekend tournament will be a high-stakes competition, with South Africa’s women’s team eager to make a statement on home soil.
“Playing at Athlone Stadium could add to the pressure, but it could also work in our favour. Either way, it remains special for our squad to compete at home in front of their home supporters and I know the team will make the most of it,” says head coach Renfred Dazel.
“It’s always special to play in front of your supporters and we know the crowd will be behind us. But it also brings the pressure to perform.”
Dazel has named a strong squad for the event, which includes debutants Kayla Swarts and Alicia Willemse.
Swarts, a former Proteas hockey player who represented South Africa at the 2024 Olympic Games, has made a smooth transition to rugby, while DHL Western Province scrumhalf Willemse brings valuable experience from training with the Springbok Women XVs team.
The pair will integrate into a team led by Mathrin Simmers, South Africa’s most experienced women’s sevens player, and includes Women Boks Nadine Roos, Zintle Mpupha and Ayanda Malinga.
The women’s competition will see South Africa drawn in Pool A alongside Czechia and Hong Kong China.
Other notable matchups include Argentina, Thailand, and Mexico in Pool B, Belgium, Uganda, and Colombia in Pool C, and Poland, Samoa, and Kenya in Pool D.
South Africa’s first match will be against Hong Kong China on 1 March at 15:55, followed by a clash with Czechia at 19:36.
The tournament gets underway at Athlone Stadium on Saturday 1 March from 10:00.
Tickets are available through Quicket for as little as R20.
