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Portugal and Kenya claim Challenger Series wins in Cape Town
By Ian Cameron
Portugal and Kenya were crowned men’s and women’s champions at the second round of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 in Cape Town.
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Portugal overcame Germany 12-7 in the men’s final, while Kenya overcame South Africa 17-0 in the women’s decider to mark a second consecutive victory.
Germany’s men and South Africa’s women took silver in sweltering conditions at the Athlone Sports Stadium roughly 10km to the east of Cape Town.
Portugal’s road to the men’s trophy included a 36-14 win over Japan in the semi-finals, while Germany secured its place in the decider by beating Canada 24-12.
South Africa’s women overcame Czechia 21-15 in one semi-final, while Kenya defeated Colombia 12-5 in the other.
Kenya’s 17-0 final victory resulted in a second consecutive Challenger triumph.
Canada men and Colombia women both celebrated third-place finishes.
Portugal captain Diogo Sarmento said it was overwhelmed with the result: “This win is overwhelming. The conditions were not perfect for us as we had a lot of players making their debut and the average age of the group is 20. We stood together, and what we accomplished is fantastic. We worked hard and now we are looking forward to going to the next round.”
Reflecting on their second World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger win in Cape Town, Kenya captain Grace Okulu said: “This is the first time we achieved back-to-back wins in the Sevens Challenger and we are now Challenger champions. We are now ready for anything.”
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With the Challenger Series offering a promotion pathway to HSBC SVNS circuit, teams from around the globe battled for vital competition points.
The top four men’s and women’s sides across three rounds will compete in the high-stakes play-off in Los Angeles which will take place on 3-4 May and promises a shot at earning promotion.
In the meantime, Krakow will host the third Challenger round on 11-12 April at the Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium.
Germany, Canada, Portugal, Chile, Samoa, Japan, Madagascar and Tonga have qualified for Krakow on the men’s side.
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Kenya, South Africa, Argentina, Colombia, Thailand, Czechia, Poland and Uganda advanced in the women’s draw.
“It’s great to be back in Cape Town,” said World Rugby Chief Competitions and Performance Officer Nigel Cass.
Fans around the globe can watch the action on rugbypass.tv or via domestic broadcast partners.
