Johannesburg - The SA Rugby Union (Saru) has welcomed the inclusion of the South African women's side as one of six invited teams set to take part in the first leg of the inaugural Women's Sevens World Series (WSWS).
The women’s series, which kicks-off in Dubai on November 30, is set to take place in four global destinations, with the aim to promote women's rugby worldwide.
Mahlubi Puzi, Saru's senior manager for women’s rugby, said the rugby body was excited at the prospect of being part of a global tournament.
“We are delighted to be part of this historic event in Dubai," Puzi said.
"This tournament and the other planned events will give our girls much needed playing opportunities.
“We have played in only one tournament since the 2009 Sevens World Cup in Dubai, where we reached the semi-finals, so we are absolutely delighted to be part of the Dubai kick-off and also grateful to the International Rugby Board (IRB) for launching this pioneering initiative.”
Puzi added that the SA Sevens women would be in action in a warm-up tournament in China at the end of October, to help them in their preparations for the Dubai event.
South Africa, Brazil, China, France, Russia and Spain will join core teams Australia, Canada, England, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States for the two-day tournament, which will run parallel to the men’s version in Dubai.
The WSWS will then split from the men’s circuit, with rounds taking place in the US (Houston), China (Guangzhou) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam).
According to the IRB, the teams invited to compete in the other legs of the series would be announced in due course.