Professional sport, especially those involving physical sacrifices such as rugby, can be brutal and at times cruel, but try and tell that to dual Springbok Women’s player Eloise Webb.

After more than a decade of playing either fifteens or sevens, the 30-year-old Webb has seen it all and lived it all.

A provincial cricketer and netball player when she was younger, the East London native and Nelson Mandela University graduate in education fell in love with rugby and despite some bad experiences, still reacted instinctively when she was called upon to help solve the injury crisis that struck the Springbok Women’s Sevens team at the most unfortunate time.

The Bok Women kicked off the season with the task of fighting their way back to tier one tournament status. They started that journey by winning the African crown in Ghana, then topped the standings at the HSBC SVNS 3 qualifier in Dubai and then finished in the top four in HSBC SVNS 2 to qualify for the World Championship.

The HSBC SVNS 2 tournaments, played in Kenya, Uruguay and Brazil, came with a heavy toll, as numerous experienced players picked up injuries that ruled them out for the big dance – the HSBC SVNS World Championships events in Hong Kong, Valladolid and this weekend, Bordeaux, where core status for the 2027 season will be on the line.

Webb – a generational talent who had already represented South Africa at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018 and 2022, and the Springbok Women at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2022 and England in 2025 – was looking forward to a bumper year in fifteens. The Bok Women have array of Test matches coming up, including a first home encounter New Zealand’s Black Ferns in September, as part of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.

Mentally, Webb left sevens behind after missing out on the squad that played made their Olympic Games debut in Paris in 2024. That call was especially cruel as Webb was part of the squad that played in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and qualified for the 2021 Olympics in Japan, only to hear that they won’t be going to Tokyo.

Then came the big gut punch in 2024, when Webb missed out on the trip to France after she played for the Springbok Women’s Sevens in five tournaments of the regular 2024 HSBC SVNS season.

Fifteens offered solace and redemption, with Webb becoming a permanent fixture in Bok Women’s coach Swys de Bruin’s team, either at flyhalf, centre or fullback.

And when 2026 started, she was ready for a big season and high-quality Test matches, especially after helping her provincial outfit, the Sanlam Boland Dames, reach a first Pick n Pay Women’s Super League final as well.

“The call to join the squad for Hong Kong was unexpected and my immediate instinct was to opt out, not only because of what happened in 2024 and Olympic rejection, but also because I know how taxing sevens is on the body,” said Webb from Bordeaux, where the Bok Women’s Sevens will face France, New Zealand and Argentina in pool play this weekend.

“I was training for a season of fifteens and to suddenly be called into a sevens regime was not what I anticipated or prepared for. The load on your body is just so much different, and we had just finished the Super League, which was demanding as well.”

But love for country prevailed and she joined the squad in the week they departed for Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong trip was eventful as expected, although some muscle memory returned for Webb, who was instrumental in setting up the match winning try against Great Britain, their moment of glory in the first World Championship tournament, where they finished 12th out of 12.

“I knew how tough it was going to be and how much strain I was going to take, mentally and physically, but playing for your country remains the biggest honour and service,” Webb reflected on the trip to the Far East after joining the team on short notice.

Last weekend in Spain, a much more settled Springbok Women’s Sevens team delivered very competitive performances against both eventual finalists, Australia and the USA, and seventh-placed Fiji, before beating Argentina and Brazil in their final two matches to finish ninth overall to move into 10th spot on the standings.

Webb scored a remarkable try against Australia where she goose-stepped past defenders on a 40m- run, a try she says she will not forget in a hurry: “But then again, to be fair, neither would my teammates allow me to forget,” she smiled fondly.

They are quietly confident for a good performance in France after the Spain experience: “For this trip we were much better prepared than Hong Kong and I was much better prepared. As a team, we really played for each other and for me those bad memories of not being wanted washed away.

“Yes, we made mistakes and at times played against ourselves, but there is this thing in our game – when we fight the odds together, it is beautiful,” Webb added.

That should manifest again in Bordeaux, where they need a big performance and some luck to finish in the top eight to regain core status for next season.

“New Zealand only lost twice in seven tournaments I think and France are playing in front of their home crowd, so tomorrow will be a massive challenge,” Webb said.

“We can only control our own output and as such, our destiny. We do not have easy games and a tough pool, but our performances will be reflective our ambitions. We want to be back on the circuit and will leave nothing out there. Nothing.”

Springbok Women’s Pool A schedule (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport):

Friday 5 June:
12h48: France
18h13: New Zealand

Saturday 6 June:
14h16: Argentina

Head-to-Head:
France: Played 8, won 0. Average score 5-32. Last match: Los Angeles 2024 – lost 53-0.
New Zealand: Played 9, won 0. Average score 3-38. Last match: Los Angeles 2024 – lost 41-5.
Argentina: Played 9, won 6. Average score 16-13. Last match: Valladolid 2026 – won 19-17.

Springbok Women’s Sevens squad (with HSBC SVNS 1 stats):
#3 Patience Mokone – 1 tournament, 0 points
#4 Zintle Mpupha (captain) – 14 tournaments, 75 points (15 tries)
#7 Maria Tshiremba – 8 tournaments, 80 points (16 tries)
#10 Byrhandré Dolf – 5 tournaments, 28 points (2 tries, 9 conversions)
#15 Vianca Boer – 1 tournament, 0 points
#16 Shiniqwa Lamprecht – 10 tournaments, 0 points
#20 Catha Jacobs – 3 tournaments, 0 points
#21 Jané Mulder – 2 tournaments, 0 points
#22 Owami Mohuli – 2 tournaments, 0 points
#23 Ayanda Malinga – 10 tournaments, 85 points (17 tries)
#26 Lerato Makua – 3 tournaments, 5 points (one try)
#27 Maceala Samboya – 2 tournaments, 5 points (1 try)
#30 Eloise Webb – 11 tournaments, 21 points (3 tries, 3 conversions)

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