Madagascar Impress As Makis And South Africa Top Groups In Africa Men’s Sevens Series
Madagascar and South Africa remain unbeaten after an action-packed opening day of the Mauritius Sevens, setting the pace ahead of Sunday’s decisive matches. (Match Schedule, tickets, copyright free images, fixtures and streaming information below)
Port Louis, Mauritius- Madagascar and South Africa have topped their pools with 100 percent records after three games on the first day of the 2026 Africa Men’s Sevens Series, played out under a carnival atmosphere on Mauritius’ breathtaking Western Coast.
African and world power South Africa defeated hosts Mauritius, Burkina Faso and Egypt in Pool A, but it was Madagascar who were probably the highlight of the day, also finishing unbeaten in Pool B, including a 26-0 rout of top side Kenya.
A developmental Kenyan side made up of both seasoned and fringe players, including four previously uncapped newcomers, was put to the sword by a hard-running Madagascar team that spread the ball wide at pace, putting their strike runners in good positions to finish off a glut of chances. They scored through breakaway tries by Rado Randrianalisoa, Nomenjanahary Randriamalisoa, Jean Yves Randriamalala and Nambinintsoa Rakotovao.
Earlier in the day, the Indian Ocean islanders edged out a vastly improved Namibia side that is gradually uplifting the standards of its Sevens game after decades of dominance in the fuller format in Africa.
Madagascar, however, were able to hold on to a 26-17 win through tries by hat-trick hero Mickael Rakotomaalala and Cedric Rakotondrabe.
A 38-0 demolition of Reunion then gave Madagascar pole position in the group.
Red-hot South Africa wrapped up the day with another dominant display, dispatching hosts Mauritius 34-0 with a brace of tries from Jean Smith, as well as one each by Somwabo Sokoyi, Gino Cupido, Aaron Swartz and Gregan Kerneels.
The Blitzboks also beat Madagascar 17-10 in a closely fought contest and then recorded a 38-0 win over Egypt.
The other matches ended: Burkina Faso 38-5 Egypt, Namibia 36-12 Reunion, Mauritius 19-0 Egypt, Kenya 19-0 Reunion, Burkina Faso 22-0 Mauritius, Kenya 34-12 Namibia.
Women’s Teams
- South Africa (TUKS)
- Mauritius
- Reunion
- Morocco
Pool A
- South Africa
- Burkina Faso
- Mauritius
- Egypt
Pool B
- Madagascar
- Kenya
- Namibia
- Reunion
Where to watch?
Rugby Pass TV: https://rugbypass.tv/home
Rugby Africa YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RugbyAfricaOfficial
Rugby Africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RugbyAfrique
Saturday, 3 October 2026 (EAT+1)
Sunday, 4 October 2026 (EAT+1)
Media Contact:
About Rugby Africa:
Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) is the governing body of rugby in Africa and one of the regional associations under World Rugby. It unites all African countries that play rugby union, rugby sevens, and women’s rugby. Rugby Africa organizes various competitions, including the qualifying tournaments for the Rugby World Cup and the Africa Sevens, a qualifying competition for the Olympic Games. With 39 member unions, Rugby Africa is dedicated to promoting and developing rugby across the continent. World Rugby highlighted Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia as three of the six emerging nations experiencing strong growth in rugby.
