Experienced former Springbok coaching consultant Swys de Bruin and former Springbok Sevens captain Kevin Foote were appointed to coach the Springbok Women and Junior Springboks respectively, while Bafana Nhleko has been redeployed from the SA U20s to the senior women’s fifteens team.

However, nothing was said about the Blitzboks specifically, a clear indication that a decision was perhaps still being made over the future of interim coach Philip Snyman after the Springbok Sevens claimed bronze at the Olympics.

Speaking to SABC Sport on Final Analysis, Snyman indicated that there is a process on the go behind the scenes.

”I think there’s processes that one has to follow, like everyone has read in the newspapers there’s a lot of stuff happening. Especially with the SA under-20 team, the women’s sevens and the men’s sevens.

“There’s a lot of stuff happening, and hopefully in the next two or three weeks we can get clarity and start planning. We start our pre-season in the next week or two. I believe we can get clarity and then the system needs to go on and I believe we can take the system and be consistent in that top three again in the near future,” said Snyman.

Blitzboks restructuring under review

Rian Oberholzer, SA Rugby’s CEO, said the changes were part of the restructuring process of SA Rugby’s High-Performance Department as they aim to achieve specific targets as part of a four-year strategic plan.

“We have obviously targeted winning the Rugby World Cup in 2027 for the Springboks, but we also have goals for other national teams,” said Oberholzer.

“We expect to see the Junior Boks winning the World Rugby U20 Championship at least once in a three-year period, for the Springbok Women to climb the world rankings to be in the top eight, and the Blitzboks to consistently medal at major events.”

targeting success in all areas

“We expect our national teams to deliver more consistent performances and as such, we started a restructuring process that is part of a significant overhaul of the High-Performance Department,” said Oberholzer.

“The Springboks carry the torch and do very well, but we need to see improvements from all our other national teams, including the Junior Boks, Blitzboks and women’s teams.

“As part of this drive, we appointed Dave Wessels as General Manager to oversee the process of restructuring our high-performance teams and these appointments are the first steps in the process.

“Dave joined us in March and has been working hard with all the relevant role players to see where we’ve fallen short and what we can do to ensure we provide all our national teams with what is necessary to be successful. More appointments will be made in due course.”

Meanwhile, Dubai will host the kick-off event for next season when the Blitzboks will return to action.

The Blitzboks and 23 other best men’s and women’s sevens teams on the planet converge on Cape Town for the (un)official start of the summer season and the ever-popular HSBC SVNS at the DHL Stadium.

Sevens out to make the most of Paris buzz in HSBC SVNS

World Rugby announced on Thursday that HSBC SVNS 2025 will again start with the traditional opening double round of Dubai and Cape Town, set to kick-on from a sell-out event at the Olympic Games in Paris last month, where both the men and women’s events at Stade de France delivered record attendances.

The Blitzboks confirmed their return to championship form in Paris and with the support of a packed DHL Stadium could be serious contenders to win their home tournament, something last achieved in 2015.

Cape Town will come out for the Blitzboks

The event has returned to its former format of a unique festival of sport, entertainment and culture across two action-packed days on one field, combining rugby, music, food, and wellbeing to an ever-growing variety of audiences.

Rian Oberholzer, SA Rugby CEO, said the 2024 event promised to once again deliver the elements that have made the Cape Town leg of the world series one of the best sporting events in South Africa.

“The setting, the wonderful stadium, the hospitality and love for rugby from the fans bring a unique Cape Town experience to the tournament,” said Oberholzer, “and with 24 of the world’s best teams in action, supporters can expect the best of two worlds – brilliant athletes on display in a brilliant environment and atmosphere.”

Blitzboks to battle the best in HSBC SVNS

The competition will feature the Olympic gold medal winning French men and New Zealand women’s teams, among the 12 teams in each competition, as well as Olympic sensations such as the USA women’s and Fijian men’s teams.

The 2023 experiment of using two fields over three days has seen a reversion to a two-day action-packed sprint.

“The Cape Town Sevens has established itself on the calendar as the unofficial start of summer in the Mother City and we’re looking forward to another weekend of spectacular rugby and fantastic fun for 100 000 people,” said Oberholzer.

Are you headed to the Cape Town SVNS in December?

Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing info@thesouthafrican.com or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.

Dubai will host the kick-off event for next season when the Blitzboks will return to action.

The Blitzboks and 23 other best men’s and women’s sevens teams on the planet converge on Cape Town for the (un)official start of the summer season and the ever-popular HSBC SVNS at the DHL Stadium.

Sevens out to make the most of Paris buzz

World Rugby announced on Thursday that HSBC SVNS 2025 will again start with the traditional opening double round of Dubai and Cape Town, set to kick-on from a sell-out event at the Olympic Games in Paris last month, where both the men and women’s events at Stade de France delivered record attendances.

The Blitzboks confirmed their return to championship form in Paris and with the support of a packed DHL Stadium could be serious contenders to win their home tournament, something last achieved in 2015.

Cape Town will come out for the Blitzboks

The event has returned to its former format of a unique festival of sport, entertainment and culture across two action-packed days on one field, combining rugby, music, food, and wellbeing to an ever-growing variety of audiences.

Rian Oberholzer, SA Rugby CEO, said the 2024 event promised to once again deliver the elements that have made the Cape Town leg of the world series one of the best sporting events in South Africa.

“The setting, the wonderful stadium, the hospitality and love for rugby from the fans bring a unique Cape Town experience to the tournament,” said Oberholzer, “and with 24 of the world’s best teams in action, supporters can expect the best of two worlds – brilliant athletes on display in a brilliant environment and atmosphere.”

Blitzboks to battle the best

The competition will feature the Olympic gold medal winning French men and New Zealand women’s teams, among the 12 teams in each competition, as well as Olympic sensations such as the USA women’s and Fijian men’s teams.

The 2023 experiment of using two fields over three days has seen a reversion to a two-day action-packed sprint.

“The Cape Town Sevens has established itself on the calendar as the unofficial start of summer in the Mother City and we’re looking forward to another weekend of spectacular rugby and fantastic fun for 100 000 people,” said Oberholzer.

Are you headed to the Cape Town SVNS in December?

Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing info@thesouthafrican.com or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.

The Blitzboks and 23 other best men’s and women’s sevens teams on the planet converge on Cape Town for the (un)official start of the summer season and the ever-popular HSBC SVNS at the Cape Town Stadium.

Sevens series will start in Dubai

World Rugby announced on Thursday that HSBC SVNS 2025 will again start with the traditional opening double round of Dubai and Cape Town, set to kick-on from a sell-out event at the Olympic Games in Paris last month, where both the men and women’s events at Stade de France delivered record attendances.

The Blitzboks confirmed their return to championship form in Paris and with the support of a packed Cape Town Stadium could be serious contenders to win their home tournament, something last achieved in 2015.

The event has returned to its former format of a unique festival of sport, entertainment and culture across two action-packed days on one field, combining rugby, music, food, and wellbeing to an ever-growing variety of audiences.

Rian Oberholzer, SA Rugby CEO, said the 2024 event promised to once again deliver the elements that have made the Cape Town leg of the world series one of the best sporting events in South Africa.

“The setting, the wonderful stadium, the hospitality and love for rugby from the fans bring a unique Cape Town experience to the tournament,” said Oberholzer, “and with 24 of the world’s best teams in action, supporters can expect the best of two worlds – brilliant athletes on display in a brilliant environment and atmosphere.”

The competition will feature the Olympic gold medal winning French men and New Zealand women’s teams, among the 12 teams in each competition, as well as Olympic sensations such as the USA women’s and Fijian men’s teams.

The 2023 experiment of using two fields over three days has seen a reversion to a two-day action-packed sprint.

“The Cape Town Sevens has established itself on the calendar as the unofficial start of summer in the Mother City and we’re looking forward to another weekend of spectacular rugby and fantastic fun for 100 000 people,” said Oberholzer.

Details on ticket sales will be announced in due course.

No place for South Africa’s women’s team

In what promises to be another record breaking year for women’s rugby, HSBC SVNS will fully embrace gender parity with all rounds featuring combined men’s and women’s events, ensuring that women players have equal opportunities to showcase their talents on the biggest stages around the world.

Men’s and women’s teams will also receive equal participation fees.

There will be three new teams competing in 2025 as Kenya and Uruguay men, and China women secured promotion from the HSBC Sevens Challenger with their victories at the 2024 promotion and relegation playoff in Madrid. 

There is NO space for South Africa’s women’s sevens team.

The women’s participating teams are: New Zealand, Australia, France, USA, Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Great Britain, Japan, Brazil, Spain and China.

The men’s teams roster includes: Argentina, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, France, Fiji, South Africa, Great Britain, USA, Spain, Uruguay and Kenya.

Having claimed the bronze medal with a thrilling win over Australia on Saturday, the Blitzboks will arrive back in South Africa on Tuesday afternoon.

The team will arrive on Emirates flight EK 770, estimated to land at 16:50 at Cape Town International Airport.

The Blitzboks have made the country proud

SA Rugby president, Mr Mark Alexander, praised the resilience showed by the South African men’s sevens squad at the Olympic Games in Paris, where they won the bronze medal over the weekend, and said it was a guiding light to all back in South Africa.

Mr Alexander hosted the Blitzboks for a team lunch to congratulate and thank them for their effort at the Rugby Sevens tournament and wished them well on their return to South Africa later on Monday.

“They came here as underdogs and not many people gave them a chance,” said Mr Alexander, “but they proved that the South African fighting spirit is alive and well in them. They made us proud with their efforts and we want to thank the team for that.”

According to Mr Alexander, pro-active steps are being undertaken for improvements to support the team in further Olympic endeavours.

“It will also be nice to have the team back in Cape Town in December when we host the SVNS tournament. I am sure the crowds will come out in numbers to support our bronze medallists,” he said.

Captain fantastic

One of the Blitzboks’ star performers was Selvyn Davids, who said the completion of the journey to a medal was a proud moment: “We had to come such a long way, and needed to qualify through the repechage tournament just to get to Paris, and we were the last team in.

“We were almost down and out earlier in the year, but what a comeback and what a fight by this group. It is so satisfying to see us playing to our potential and be proud Olympic medallists.

“We are proud of this medal and achievement and to know that we have done our system justice and hopefully gave South Africa something to smile about is really a great feeling,” added Davids.

Many fans were surprised when Dupont recently committed to a temporary transition into the sevens game, clearly having set his sights on winning a gold medal.

The 27-year-old has been one of world rugby’s most influential scrumhalves in the fifteen-man game over the last few years, and his seamless transition into sevens has only further highlighted what a rare talent he is.

His star power has also been great for the profile of sevens, and also led for calls for more big-name fifteens players to take part in the shorter format if World Rugby was able to open up some room in the congested rugby calendar.

With this in mind, we take a hypothetical look at South African 15s player who could certainly make a big impact in the sevens game.

Could this be the perfect SA sevens team from 15s stars?

1: Kurt-Lee Arendse

2: Kwagga Smith

3: Hacjivah Dayimani

4: Grant Williams

5: Canan Moodie

6: Seabelo Senatla

7: Cheslin Kolbe

*Let us know which players you would add or subtract from this team above by leaving a comment at the end of this article

Game changer

According to World Rugby CEO, Alan Gilpin, there is a need to recalibrate the international calendar to enable more players like Dupont to switch between sevens and 15s, according to its CEO, Alan Gilpin.

Gilpin said the success of the men’s Olympic sevens had surpassed expectations. “It’s everything we could have hoped for,” World Rugby’s Gilpin told AFP.

“We always said this was a coming-of-age moment. We sold eight sessions out of 550,000 tickets. Incredible.”

Gilpin added: “This has been everything we wanted it to be, which was to put rugby sevens on a big stage. Rugby sevens is great for the Games and the Games is great for rugby sevens and that’s absolutely what we want.

While the player crossover in women’s rugby between sevens and 15s is more common, Gilpin conceded that the challenge for World Rugby was the “incredibly congested” men’s calendar.

“When we rewind to the Rugby World Cup here last year, the South Africans had six players in their squad that had played sevens. So they’ve found a way to make that pathway work,” he said.

Gilpin suggested that World Rugby needed to work to “de-conflict some parts of the calendar”.

“Can we create a view of the calendar that allows a player like Dupont… to say, ’Right, I’m going to play a year of 15s, but I’m going to pick these moments to build to Olympic Games and sevens because it’s the stage, it’s the platform that I otherwise wouldn’t have’?”

“France have done a great job with Antoine of dipping in and out, but is that possible for other unions? And how can we make that easier?” Gilpin asked.

“If we think forward to the Six Nations or the Rugby Championships that precede the 2028 Los Angeles Games, how can those players be playing in that, but also have the opportunities in that year in advance to prepare?

“De-conflicting parts of the calendar to allow that to happen would be helpful.”

With Fiji advancing to the final where they will face the host nation, the Blitzboks will take on Australia in the bronze medal battle.

This clash will kick off at 19:00 (SA time) on Saturday.

Keep track of the Blitzboks’ live scoring below:

Heartbreak in the semi-final

The Springbok Sevens team succumbed to some good second half pressure by France to lose their Paris 2024 semifinal 19-5 (halftime 0-0) against the home side at Stade France on Saturday afternoon.

The French, spurred on by a full house at the iconic rugby stadium, scored three consecutive tries in the second half after the Blitzboks took an 5-0 lead early in the second.

It was a helter skelter first half, with both teams battling the rain that came pelting down, some nervous and determined defence by their opponents. France came close twice and the Blitzboks once, but on each occasion defence ruled.

Not so at the start of the second half though when Tristan Leyds scored after some good recycling by his teammates.

France, who introduced local hero Antoine Dupont on the field just before the try, then managed three tries, two from SA mistakes to make it into the finals.

Scorers:

SA – Try: Tristan Leyds.

France – Tries: Rayan Rebbadj (2), Jordan Sepho. Conversions: Rebbadj (2). 

In a cagey first half, both teams showed signs of nervousness when in possession, but steadfast determination on defence. The Blitzboks had the better field possession and thus the better scoring opportunities, but they failed to capitalise and the half ended deadlocked at 0-0.

France wasted little time in introducing their greatest attacking weapon, Antoine Dupont, soon after the restart. But it proved costly, as he conceded a penalty from which the Blitzboks scored. Taking a quick-tap, the ball was sent wide to Tristan Leyds, who scored in the corner.

But Dupont more than made up for his error as they led the French fightback. The hosts crossed for three unanswered tries to record

The result means the Blitzboks are the first South African national team to lose playoff game in an international competition at the Stade de France.

The Springboks went unbeaten in playoffs at both the 2007 and 2023 Rugby World Cups, while the Blitzboks beat New Zealand in their first playoff at this venue on Thursday.

BLITZBOKS’ POOL RESULTS:

Wednesday 24 July:

• SA lost 10-5 to Ireland
• Blitzboks lost 17-5 to New Zealand

Thursday 25 July

• SA beat Japan 49-5
• Blitzboks beat New Zealand 14-7

(SA times, all matches on SuperSport):

Blitzboks squad for the 2024 Olympics — Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen. Impi Visser*, Zain Davids*, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids* (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman**, Siviwe Soyizwapi*, Shilton van Wyk.
Travelling reserves: Ronald Brown*, Katlego Letebele.

* indicates Tokyo Olympics 2021
** indicates Rio Olympics 2016

After losing to New Zealand 17-5 in pool play on Wednesday, the Blitzboks hit back in style on Thursday to cause a big upset and ensure they will be playing for a medal at the Stade de France on Saturday.

The Blitzboks’ semi-final against France is scheduled for 15:30 on Saturday afternoon (SA and France time).

Below, you can keep track of the live scoring as the Blitzboks look to make history against France at the Paris Olympics:

Coach Philip Snyman was part of the Olympic squad that earned the bronze medal at Rio 2016, and he hopes to now oversee a historic run to the next level.

“When the guys made it through to the quarter-finals, I said to them. ’gents, you must start believing’. Yesterday things didn’t go our way but you must truly believe.’ Our defence had been good but we couldn’t get the ball back.

“Tonight our defence system worked well and when we had ball in hand we capitalised. We even left one or two tries out there. It was still not a perfect performance, but the guys fought for the system, they fought for the jersey and they fought for the country. I’m really proud of them and they deserve to be in the semi-finals.”

KEEP BELIEVING

Rosko Specman, who scored one of the tries, said afterwards that they did what was needed to stay in the hunt for a podium finish.

“Coach Philip (Snyman) asked us one thing in the change room and that was to get the joy back of playing for this team, the same joy we displayed in Monaco,” said Specman. “We had some ball to play with and it was joy all over. We are still in the tournament and that is a huge boost of confidence.”

Tristan Leyds added: “We had a tough chat with the boys last night and knew we had to pull it together.

“Japan (who they beat 49-5 earlier on Thursday) was a good start. We just knew we had to gain some points on the board and get a victory. We got a second chance against New Zealand and the boys produced a special performance in defence.”

“People back home did not think we had a chance but where there is a will, there is a way. And the guys put it together and got the ‘W’ against New Zealand.”

“The boys showed a massive effort. This team can pull off big surprises like this one. It was pretty special. Hopefully, we can pull off another surprise in the semi-final.”

Scorers:

South Africa 47 (35), Japan 5 (0) 
SA – Tries: Zain Davids, Impi Visser, Ryan Oosthuizen (2), Rosko Specman, Shilton van Wyk (2). Conversions: Ronald Brown (2), Tristan Leyds (5).
Japan – Try: Kazuma Ueda.

South Africa 14 (14) New Zealand 7 (7)
SA – Tries: Selvyn Davids, Tristan Leyds. Conversions: Leyds (2).
NZ – Try: Moses Leo. Conversion: Andrew Knewstubb. 

This kind of backs-to-the-wall defensive display is what epitomised the Neil Powell era, and it was great to see the Blitzboks — especially the older players in the squad — call on all their experience and might and putting their bodies on the line to halt New Zealand in their tracks.

The Blitzboks will now face France in the semi-final, with kick-off scheduled for 15h30 on Saturday afternoon.

WATCH: BLITZBOKS DENY NEW ZEALAND ON THE TRYLINE

COACH SHOWS UNWAVERING FAITH IN HIS TROOPS

Blitzboks interim head coach Philip Snyman praised his team after their stunning victory: “They deserve to be in the semi-finals, as they have executed and delivered everything I have asked from them today.

“We did not play poorly on day one, we just could not get our hands on the ball, but today was a different performance, a really inspiring one.

“We needed to win big against Japan and scored seven well-worked tries, but against New Zealand, the Blitzboks’ defence was going to be crucial and I am so proud of how the guys responded.”

“Once we made it into the quarters, I told them to start believing that it is possible. I had a good feeling about the ability of the side, so once we were into the last eight, it was time to remind them of that.

“This was such a great win, built on defence and work rate, while we struck when we needed to. In fact, we left another try or two out there. These guys deserve to contest for a medal; they showed that tonight,” the former Blitzboks captain turned coach concluded.

Despite going into the quarter-final against New Zealand as underdogs, the Blitzboks ended New Zealand’s medal hopes with a defensive masterclass, while progressing to what should be a thrilling semi-final against France.

The hosts overcame Argentina 26-14 in a pulsating quarter-final of their own, with a last gasp try from Antoine Dupont sealing the victory in fine style.

The sevens action takes a day break for the Opening Ceremony on 26 July before returning with the men’s finals on 27 July.

The Blitzboks’ semi-final against France is scheduled for 15:30 on Saturday afternoon (SA and France time).

Momentum suddenly with the Blitzboks at the Olympics

The Blitzboks’ interim head coach Philip Snyman praised his team after their stunning Olympic quarter-final victory: “They deserve to be in the semi-finals, as they have executed and delivered everything I have asked from them today.

“We did not play poorly on day one, we just could not get our hands on the ball, but today was a different performance, a really inspiring one.

“We needed to win big against Japan and scored seven well-worked tries, but against New Zealand, our defence was going to be crucial and I am so proud of how the guys responded.”

Snyman said he had a good feeling about the ability of the players selected to travel to the world showpiece.

“Once we made it into the quarters, I told them to start believing that it is possible,” said Snyman. “I had a good feeling about the ability of the side, so once we were into the last eight, it was time to remind them of that.

“This was such a great win, built on defence and work rate, while we struck when we needed to. In fact, we left another try or two out there. These guys deserve to contest for a medal, they showed that tonight.”

Scorers from Thursday:

South Africa 47 (35), Japan 5 (0) 
SA – Tries: Zain Davids, Impi Visser, Ryan Oosthuizen (2), Rosko Specman, Shilton van Wyk (2). Conversions: Ronald Brown (2), Tristan Leyds (5).
Japan – Try: Kazuma Ueda.

South Africa 14 (14) New Zealand 7 (7)
SA – Tries: Selvyn Davids, Tristan Leyds. Conversions: Leyds (2).
NZ – Try: Moses Leo. Conversion: Andrew Knewstubb. 

However, they managed to keep their medal hopes alive with a resounding win over Japan, earning a rematch with New Zealand.

Coming into the game as complete underdogs, the Springbok Sevens produced an inspired performance to claim a sensational win.

After pushing out to a 14-0 lead, the Blitzboks then had to produce an incredible defensive effort to stave off the New Zealand fight back.

The Blitzboks now move on to play hosts France in the semi-finals at 3.30pm on Saturday.

Blitzboks could now finish with a podium place at the Paris Olympics

Special day in Paris

After losing to NZ 17-5 in pool play on Wednesday, the Blitzboks hit back in style on Thursday to cause a big upset and ensure they will be playing for a medal in France.

Selvyn Davids and Tristan Leyds scored the South Africans’ tries in the third and fourth minutes of the first half, with Leyds converting both.

Leyds’ try was especially great, as it came from a counter-attack that started from turn-over ball on the Blitzboks’ tryline after some sublime defence.

New Zealand hit back two minutes after the buzzer with a try by Moses Leo, with Andrew Knewstubb adding the conversion to make it 14-7 at the break.

The second half saw wave after wave of NZ attack, but the Blitzboks’ defence held firm as they tackled like terriers, often forcing mistakes from the Kiwis which handed possession back to South Africa, who sealed the deal with one of their best performances of the season.

Earlier on Thursday, South Africa smashed Japan by 49-5 to sneak into the quarter-finals. The Springbok Sevens team had a 35-0 lead at the break in their final Pool A match, scoring five tries in the first half and adding two more after the break.

The Blitzboks, who had to replace the injured Quewin Nortje with Ronald Brown on the second day, knew they had to win by at least 21 points to make into the final eight and did just that. They were ruthless in the opening half and scored almost at will, dominating the restarts, possession and territory.

Japan launched a mini-comeback early in the second half, scoring their only try of the match, but that did not stop the Blitzboks from scoring two more tries.

Rosko Specman, who scored one of the tries, said afterwards that they did what was needed and are still in the hunt for a podium finish.

“Coach Philip (Snyman) asked us one thing in the change room and that was to get the joy back of playing for this team, the same joy we displayed in Monaco,” said Specman. “We had some ball to play with and it was joy all over. We are still in the tournament and that is a huge boost of confidence.”

Scorers:

South Africa 47 (35), Japan 5 (0) 
SA – Tries: Zain Davids, Impi Visser, Ryan Oosthuizen (2), Rosko Specman, Shilton van Wyk (2). Conversions: Ronald Brown (2), Tristan Leyds (5).
Japan – Try: Kazuma Ueda.

South Africa 14 (14) New Zealand 7 (7)
SA – Tries: Selvyn Davids, Tristan Leyds. Conversions: Leyds (2).
NZ – Try: Moses Leo. Conversion: Andrew Knewstubb. 

RUGBY SEVENS 2024 OLYMPICS QUARTER-FINALS

Thursday, 25 July

• Blitzboks vs New Zealand (Kick-off 21:00)
• Argentina vs France (Kick-off 21:30)
• Fiji vs Ireland (Kick-off 22:00)
• Australia vs USA (Kick-off 22:30)

These riveting encounters were decided after New Zealand finished top in Pool A, with Ireland as runners-up; Australia topped Pool B with Argentina in second place; and Fiji (1st) pipped hosts France (2nd) in Pool C.

The USA (7th) and Blitzboks (2nd) snuck into the playoffs as the two best third-place finishers to complete the Olympics quarter-final lineup at the Olympics.

BLITZBOKS’ POOL RESULTS:

Wednesday 24 July:

• Blitzboks lost 10-5 to Ireland
• Blitzboks lost 17-5 to New Zealand

Thursday 25 July

• Blitzboks lost 17-5 to New Zealand

(SA times, all matches on SuperSport):

Blitzboks squad for the 2024 Olympics — Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen. Impi Visser*, Zain Davids*, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids* (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman**, Siviwe Soyizwapi*, Shilton van Wyk.
Travelling reserves: Ronald Brown*, Katlego Letebele.

* indicates Tokyo Olympics 2021
** indicates Rio Olympics 2016

The Blitzboks advanced to the play-offs as the 8th-ranked side (the best third-place finisher) and will thus have a rematch against New Zealand, who emerged as Pool A winners after edging Ireland 14-12.

The Blitzboks played with a sense of urgency that was sorely lacking in their first two encounters. They put on a clinical attacking masterclass while superbly holding their shape in defence throughout the game.

South Africa ran in five unanswered tries in a remarkable first half for a 35-0 lead at the break. They added two more tries and conceded one in the second half to wrap up the result.

The Springbok Sevens team’s quarter-final will kick off at 22:30 on Thursday night.

BLITZBOKS’ POOL SCHEDULE AT OLYMPICS:

Wednesday 24 July:
17h30: Blitzboks lost 10-5 to Ireland
21h30: Blitzboks lost 17-5 New Zealand

Thursday 25 July
16h00: Blitzboks beat Japan 49-0

(SA times, all matches on SuperSport):

Blitzboks squad for the 2024 Olympic Games — Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen. Impi Visser*, Zain Davids*, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids* (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman**, Siviwe Soyizwapi*, Shilton van Wyk.
Travelling reserves: Ronald Brown*, Katlego Letebele.

* indicates Tokyo 2021
** indicates Rio 2016

With opening day showdowns against Ireland and New Zealand, Team SA’s rugby side came up short on both occasions as they failed to answers the questions asked of them by their more innovative and cohesive opponents.

They lost 10-5 to Ireland before going down 17-5 against New Zealand on Wednesday. And with every one of those results, the Blitzboks’ chances of medalling at the Olympics slipped further from their grasp.

However, all is not lost. With 12 teams competing across three pools at the Games, the Blitzboks only have to finish as one of the eight best teams to advance to the playoffs. All they need is a big win against Japan in their final pool game on Thursday.

BLITZBOKS CAN STILL QUALIFY: HOW IT WORKS

The top two teams in all three pools plus the two best third-placed finishers will progress to the quarter-final stage.

And the Blitzboks have a real possibility of grabbing one of the two best third-place spots available.

Head coach Philip Snyman has now urged his struggling Blitzboks outfit to forget those two early defeats and to shift their focus to the all-important game against Japan.

“We need to dig deep and we need to look hard at ourselves and get ourselves in a good mental space for tomorrow and make sure we rock up,” the Blitzboks boss said.

“We can still make it to the quarterfinals, but it’s all up to us. We need to come out with the right mentality and play together as a collective, and show what this team can do.

DATES

The Paris Olympics 2024 men’s competition is currently underway (24-27 July), with the women’s tournament following on 28-30 July.

The men’s gold medal match on 27 July will see the first team sport gold medal of the Games awarded.

TEAM SA SEVENS:

Blitzboks — Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser, Zain Davids, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Shilton van Wyk. 
Travelling reserves: Ronald Brown, Katlego Letebele.

A few hours later at 9.30pm, the Springbok Sevens side will then take on New Zealand in their final Pool A clash of the day, and which could have a major bearing on their campaign at the Games.

On Thursday, the Blitzboks play Japan at 4pm.

Keep track of the live scoring for the Blitzboks’ first two games below:

Team SA Sevens:

Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser, Zain Davids, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Shilton van Wyk. Travelling reserves: Ronald Brown, Katlego Letebele.

How the pools shape up:

SA WOMEN IN ACTION

In the women’s competition, South Africa are in Pool B, and will face stiff competition as Rio 2016 Olympic and SVNS 2024 Grand Final champions Australia are placed alongside SA, Ireland and Great Britain.

HOW IT WORKS

The top two teams in all three pools plus the two best third-placed finishers will progress to the quarter-final stage.

DATES

The Paris Olympics 2024 men’s competition will take place from 24-27 July, with the women’s tournament following on 28-30 July.

The men’s gold medal match on 27 July will see the first team sport gold medal of the Games awarded.

The men’s tournament will get underway before the Opening Ceremony on Friday, 26 July; featuring France (host nation), New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia (top four teams in the Sevens World Series 2023 excluding France), Uruguay (South America), Ireland (Europe), United States (North America), Kenya (Africa), Samoa (Oceania), Japan (Asia) and South Africa.

OLYMPIC SEVENS: SPRINGBOK SEVENS’ ROAD TO GLORY

South Africa’s Blitzboks were last to qualify through the repechage, following a poor 2023/24 Sevens Series campaign.

The pool phase and quarterfinals are scheduled on 24-25, while the semifinals, classification matches and medal events are scheduled on 27 July.

Here are Team South Africa’s men’s rugby sevens team fixtures and kick-off times, including two big showdowns against Ireland and New Zealand on Wednesday night.

BLITZBOKS’ POOL SCHEDULE AT OLYMPICS:

Wednesday 24 July:
17h30: Blitzboks v Ireland
21h30: Blitzboks vNew Zealand

Thursday 25 July
16h00: Blitzboks v Japan

(SA times, all matches on SuperSport):

Blitzboks squad for the 2024 Olympic Games — Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen. Impi Visser*, Zain Davids*, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids* (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman**, Siviwe Soyizwapi*, Shilton van Wyk.
Travelling reserves: Ronald Brown*, Katlego Letebele.

* indicates Tokyo 2021
** indicates Rio 2016

COACH OUTLINES TEAM’S APPROACH

Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman – a bronze medalist from the 2016 Olympics in Rio – said they have done everything possible to be at their competitive best this week.

“We are ready,” said Snyman. “We had a good week of preparation since we arrived here, which included a good training session against Uruguay two days ago. That helped us a lot, as a match is always better than just training as a squad.

“We saw different pictures on attack and defence and had to adapt accordingly. It was a well worth exercise and sharpened us up nicely for the matches against Ireland and New Zealand.”

The Blitzboks will be the first South Africans in action at the Paris Games, and here are the kick-off times that are not to be missed.

Blitzboks’ pool schedule at the Olympics (SA times, all matches on SuperSport):

Wednesday 24 July:
17h30: Ireland
21h30: New Zealand

Thursday 25 July
16h00: Japan

Squad for the 2024 Games:

1) Christie Grobbelaar
2) Ryan Oosthuizen
3) Impi Visser *
4) Zain Davids *
5) Quewin Nortje
6) Tiaan Pretorius
7) Shaun Williams
8) Selvyn Davids * (captain)
9) Tristan Leyds
10) Rosko Specman **
11) Siviwe Soyizwapi *
12) Shilton van Wyk
13) Ronald Brown * (travelling reserve)
14) Katlego Letebele (travelling reserve)

* indicates Tokyo 2021
** indicates Rio 2016

Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman – a bronze medalist from the 2016 Olympics in Rio – said they have done everything possible to be at their competitive best this week.

“We are ready,” said Snyman. “We had a good week of preparation since we arrived here, which included a good training session against Uruguay two days ago. That helped us a lot, as a match is always better than just training as a squad.

“We saw different pictures on attack and defence and had to adapt accordingly. It was a well worth exercise and sharpened us up nicely for the matches against Ireland and New Zealand.

“For us, it will just be another opportunity to represent our country and to deliver our best effort for the jersey,” he added. “Yes, the reward might be different, but the game remains the same and that is where our focus will be tomorrow.

“Both Ireland and New Zealand are the same in style and approach. They are bigger than us and more physical and will attack our breakdown in order to slow us down. We have real magic and speed on the outside and teams will try and prevent us to use that.”

Snyman said their defensive effort will be crucial if they want to start on a positive note.

“Ireland is our main focus for now, we want to start well and lay a foundation for the rest of the tournament,” said Snyman.

“We need to make our tackles and put pressure on their attackers. They are a dangerous side when they have momentum, so we need to stop them for getting going.”

For the latest Paris Olympics 2024 news, bookmark The South African website’s dedicated section

The 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams were allocated to three pools of four teams based on their rankings due to performances over the last two years of the HSBC SVNS Series, Challenger Series and other World Rugby-sanctioned tournaments.

Blitzboks drawn in Pool A

Hosts France and their superstar Antoine Dupont will start their Olympic campaign in Pool C together with two-time Olympic champions Fiji, USA and debutants Uruguay.

SVNS league winners Argentina will also face tough competition in Pool B where they will meet Australia, Samoa and Kenya while Pool A sees top seed New Zealand grouped with Ireland, Japan and South Africa who just qualified from the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco.

The Blitzboks lost in the quarter-finals against Argentina at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics after picking up the bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics where rugby sevens made its debut.

The Blitzboks will take on Ireland on Wednesday, 24 July at 17:30 (SA time), followed by their clash against New Zealand at 21:30 (SA time) that evening.

The clash against Japan is scheduled for Thursday, 25 July at 16:00 (SA time).

SA women in action

In the women’s competition, the battle will also be fierce with three very competitive pools.

Reigning Olympic Champions and SVNS League Winners New Zealand will be strong contenders and face Fiji, Canada and freshly qualified China in Pool A.

Pool B will also provide fascinating competition with Rio 2016 Olympic and SVNS 2024 Grand Final champions Australia facing Ireland, Great Britain and debutants South Africa.

Hosts France have been placed in Pool C as one of three top ranked teams and will look to improve on their silver medal at Tokyo 2020 with pool matches against the USA, Japan and Brazil.

How it works

The top two teams in all three pools plus the two best third-placed finishers will progress to the quarter-final stage.

Dates

The Paris Olympics 2024 men’s competition will take place from 24-27 July, with the women’s tournament following on 28-30 July.

The men’s gold medal match on 27 July will see the first team sport gold medal of the Games awarded.

For the latest Paris Olympics 2024 news, bookmark The South African website’s dedicated section

Despite having to win their way through final qualifying, they arrived in Paris on the back of six straight victories in Monaco last month, beating Mexico, Tonga, Chile, Uganda, Canada and Great Britain along the way.

However, now the temperature ramps up and it will reach boiling point in the 69 000-capacity Stade de France on Wednesday.

The men’s team will face Ireland in the first of their three matches in Pool A.

Also in the tough grouping are New Zealand and Japan.

Blitzboks won bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016

This is the third time sevens rugby has been included in the Olympic programme and Team SA are eager to rise to the occasion, having won bronze at Rio de Janeiro 2016, but missing out on a medal in Tokyo in 2021.

The old cliche of one match at a time is exactly what the mindset of coach Philip Snyman will be as he prepares his troops for battle.

After all, Ireland themselves come off the back of a successful world series season and were in fact the last country to beat Team SA, winning 12-7 to take fifth place in Madrid in June.

Throw that into the rugby mix of South Africa’s rivalry with Ireland and there’s an extra edge to the opener against Ireland.

Rosko Specman won’t object to being called a veteran and the 35-year-old has been there and done that in both formats of the game. He was also part of the Team SA squad that claimed gold at Rio 2016, as was Snyman.

“That’s very true,” said Specman after a training session in Paris. “We are out to settle a score. They beat us the last time we played them in Sevens and then when it came to the 15’s they won the second Test to level the series at 1-all. This time though we are out to make it two-one in our favour.

“We know that it’s always back and forth against Ireland. They’ve given us a hard time throughout the season and they often punch first. We know what they are going to bring and we will counter that. There’s great energy about this group and we have a nice plan in store,” Specman added.

Fixtures

There are three groups of four teams in each of the men’s and women’s competitions. The women also have a tough pool to encounter, with opposition looming in the form of Australia, Ireland and Great Britain.

The Blitzboks will take on Ireland on Wednesday, 24 July at 17:30 (SA time), followed by their clash against New Zealand at 21:30 (SA time) that evening.

The clash against Japan is scheduled for Thursday, 25 July at 16:00 (SA time).

Gary Lemke is reporting live from Paris for the Team SA website for the duration of the Paris Olympics 2024

“I felt at that time that my body was failing me,” recalled Soyizwapi.

“The recovery was not going according to plan and the injury was not responding the way I was hoping it would. I did not see myself playing for the Blitzboks again in 2024.”

Also, after being the Blitzboks’ regular captain for a couple of seasons, Soyizwapi’s absence meant that he could not stop the slump the team experienced. The experience of 50 plus tournaments in the world series could not be shared.

On Wednesday, as the Springbok Sevens team departed for France for their third consecutive Olympic Games, the silver lining broke through the dark clouds of six months ago. Soyizwapi is Paris-bound.

“A lot has changed and all for the good,” he said.

“We are going to France knowing that we back ourselves to get a result.

“We worked incredibly hard to put ourselves back into the race for a medal. For me personally, the knowledge that my body is back to full strength and that my team-mates are fit and ready make this an exciting trip. We know what we know, to use a well-known phrase.”

The 31-year-old wing will be going to his second Olympic Games, but few would argue that the first one, in Tokyo in 2021, was a memorable one.

The Blitzboks lost to Argentina in the quarter-finals despite an early South American red card and had to do without coach Neil Powell, who was in isolation in Kagoshima City.

“That was not what one dreamt about and envisaged of the Olympics,” said Soyizwapi, “but this time around, we can have the full experience of being part of the Village, meeting other athletes and supporting South Africans participating.

“That is also why we want to make this one count. We come in under the radar, but I believe we can go all the way.”

The Blitzboks will arrive in France on Thursday and will settle into the Olympic Village, with the Rugby Sevens tournament for men taking place from 24-27 July at the Stade de France.

South Africa will face Ireland, New Zealand and Japan in Pool A.

Argentina, Australia, Samoa and Kenya will contest Pool B, while in Pool C, hosts France and defending champions Fiji will face USA and Uruguay.

BLITZBOKS‘ POOL SCHEDULE (SA TIMES):

Wednesday, 24 July

vs Ireland – 17:30

vs New Zealand – 21:30

Thursday, 25 July

vs Japan – 16:00

SQUAD

Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser *, Zain Davids *, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids * (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman **, Siviwe Soyizwapi *, Shilton van Wyk, Ronald Brown * (travelling reserve), Katlego Letebele (travelling reserve)

* indicates Tokyo 2021

** indicates Rio 2016

Specman, who was capped by the Springboks in 2021, will partake in his second Olympic Games, alongside Impi Visser, Zain Davids, Selvyn Davids, Ronald Brown and Siviwe Soyizwapi, who were part of the squad that placed fifth in 2021 in Tokyo.

Brown and Katlego Letebele were named as travelling reserves in the Paris squad and will only be called upon in case of injury to one of the 12 players allowed for the squad and residence in the Olympic village.

Springbok Sevens interim head coach Philip Snyman stuck to the group that won the Olympic repechage tournament in Monaco last month. That victory secured the last berth on the 12-team roster for Paris.

“I could not fault the effort from the guys that went to Monaco, and it was only fair that they were rewarded for that,” said Snyman.

“The team missed out on qualifying for the Olympics during the normal series and at the African qualifiers, so the guys who did the job in Monaco deserved the opportunity.

“Also, as a team we played really well and with good understanding of each other, so it would have been counterproductive to break that by bringing in different players.

“I opted for the same guys that played in Monaco as well as Ronald, who was due to travel but picked up a late injury, and Katlego, who played in all our tournaments in the regular season apart from Madrid, when we rested some key players.”

At the Paris Olympics 2024, South Africa will face Ireland, New Zealand and Japan in Pool A at the Stade de France in Paris.

Argentina, Australia, Samoa and Kenya will contest Pool B, while in Pool C, hosts France and defending champions Fiji will face USA and Uruguay.

Blitzboks’ pool schedule (SA times):

Wednesda,y 24 July

vs Ireland – 17:30

vs New Zealand – 21:30

Thursday, 25 July

vs Japan – 16:00

Squad

Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser *, Zain Davids *, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids * (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman **, Siviwe Soyizwapi *, Shilton van Wyk, Ronald Brown * (travelling reserve), Katlego Letebele (travelling reserve)

* indicates Tokyo 2021

** indicates Rio 2016

Specman, who was capped by the Springboks in 2021, will partake in his second Olympic Games, alongside Impi Visser, Zain Davids, Selvyn Davids, Ronald Brown and Siviwe Soyizwapi, who were part of the Blitzboks squad that placed fifth in 2021 in Tokyo.

Brown and Katlego Letebele were named as travelling reserves in the Paris squad and will only be called upon in case of injury to one of the 12 players allowed for the squad and residence in the Olympic Village.

BLITZBOKS COACH EXPLAINS HIS SELECTIONS

Springbok Sevens interim head coach Philip Snyman stuck to the group that won the Olympic repechage tournament in Monaco last month. That victory secured the last berth on the 12-team roster for Paris.

“I could not fault the effort from the guys that went to Monaco, and it was only fair that they were rewarded for that,” said Snyman.

“The Blitzboks missed out on qualifying for the Olympics during the normal series and at the African qualifiers, so the guys who did the job in Monaco deserved the opportunity.

“Also, as a team, we played really well and with a good understanding of each other, so it would have been counterproductive to break that by bringing in different players.

“I opted for the same guys that played in Monaco as well as Ronald, who was due to travel but picked up a late injury, and Katlego, who played in all our tournaments in the regular season apart from Madrid, when we rested some key players,” the Blitzboks head coach concluded.

South Africa will face Ireland, New Zealand and Japan in Pool A at the Stade de France in Paris. Argentina, Australia, Samoa and Kenya will contest Pool B, while in Pool C, hosts France and defending champions Fiji will face USA and Uruguay.

Blitzboks’ pool schedule (SA times):

Wednesday 24 July:
17h30: Ireland
21h30: New Zealand

Thursday 25 July
16h00: Japan

Blitzbok squad for 2024 Olympic Games: Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser*, Zain Davids*, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids* (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman**, Siviwe Soyizwapi*, Shilton van Wyk, Ronald Brown* (travelling reserve), Katlego Letebele (travelling reserve).

* indicates Tokyo 2021
** indicates Rio 2016

The squad heading to Paris includes 2016 bronze medalist Rosko Specman alongside Impi Visser, Zain Davids, Selvyn Davids, Ronald Brown and Siviwe Soyizwapi, who were part of the squad that placed fifth in 2021 in Tokyo.

Brown and Katlego Letebele were named as travelling reserves in the Paris squad and will only be called upon in case of injury to one of the 12 players allowed for the squad and residence in the Olympic village.

“I could not fault the effort from the guys that went to Monaco, and it was only fair that they were rewarded for that,” said Snyman.

“The team missed out on qualifying for the Olympics during the normal series and at the African qualifiers, so the guys who did the job in Monaco deserved the opportunity.

“Also, as a team we played really well and with good understanding of each other, so it would have been counterproductive to break that by bringing in different players.

“I opted for the same guys that played in Monaco as well as Ronald, who was due to travel but picked up a late injury, and Katlego, who played in all our tournaments in the regular season apart from Madrid, when we rested some key players.”

South Africa will face Ireland, New Zealand and Japan in Pool A at the at Stade de France in Paris. Argentina, Australia, Samoa and Kenya will contest Pool B, while in Pool C, hosts France and defending champions Fiji will face USA and Uruguay.

Blitzboks squad for 2024 Olympic Games:

1) Christie Grobbelaar

2) Ryan Oosthuizen

3) Impi Visser *

4) Zain Davids *

5) Quewin Nortje

6) Tiaan Pretorius

7) Shaun Williams

8) Selvyn Davids * (captain)

9) Tristan Leyds

10) Rosko Specman **

11) Siviwe Soyizwapi *

12) Shilton van Wyk

13) Ronald Brown * (travelling reserve)

14) Katlego Letebele (travelling reserve)

* indicates Tokyo 2021

** indicates Rio 2016

Blitzboks’ pool schedule (SA times):

Wednesday 24 July:

17h30: Ireland

21h30: New Zealand

Thursday 25 July

16h00: Japan

The men’s gold medal match on 27 July will see the first team sport gold medal of the Games awarded.

The Blitzboks have been drawn in a challenging pool, and it’s now been confirmed that they will face Ireland on 24 July in their opening game (kick off at 17:30 SA time). On the same day, they will also face New Zealand at 21:30.

On Thursday, 25 July the South African side will then face Japan at 16:00.

VIEW FIXTURES >>
VIEW POOLS >>

The 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams were allocated to three pools of four teams based on their rankings due to performances over the last two years of the HSBC SVNS Series, Challenger Series and other World Rugby-sanctioned tournaments.

BLITZBOKS DRAWN IN POOL A AT PARIS OLYMPICS

Hosts France and their superstar Antoine Dupont will start their Olympic campaign in Pool C together with two-time Olympic champions Fiji, USA and debutants Uruguay.

SVNS league winners Argentina will also face tough competition in Pool B where they will meet Australia, Samoa and Kenya while Pool A sees top seed New Zealand grouped with Ireland, Japan and the Blitzboks, who qualified for the Paris Olympics from the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco.

The competition format sees all teams play three pool matches with eight teams qualifying for the quarter-finals in the evening session of the second day of competition, before the third day sees the semi-finals and the all-important medal matches as Olympic dreams are realised and broken.

Rugby sevens is expected to be one of the highlights of Paris 2024, following the resounding success of Rugby World Cup 2023 in France. All the action will take place at Stade de France, which was the venue for the opening match and final of Rugby World Cup 2023.

All six World Rugby regions are represented among the 24 teams who secured their spots in Paris via the HSBC SVNS Series, regional qualification competitions and the World Rugby Sevens Repechage.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “The unveiling of the match schedule is another exciting step on the road to Paris with just 16 days to go until rugby sevens kicks off the Olympic Games. The players, teams and fans can now mark their calendars and fine tune their preparations for what promises to be an incredible six days of fast paced, all action drama as some of the best athletes in the world showcase the speed, strength and skill of rugby sevens to a huge worldwide audience.

“Following rugby sevens’ Olympic debut at Rio 2016 and the Covid affected Games in Tokyo, we are anticipating Paris 2024 to be the sport’s  ‘coming of age’ Games – the biggest and best yet – with a full house of passionate fans expected across all sessions at the iconic Stade de Fance, representing a golden opportunity to further grow rugby’s global appeal.”

Lots to look forward to

Paris 2024 Executive Director of Sport Competitions Aurélie Merle added: “Rugby sevens has the honour of kicking off the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and we know the atmosphere will be electric inside the Stade de France, with full and passionate crowds for every session in a country that truly loves rugby.

“The release of the competition schedule raises our anticipation even higher, with so many tantalising match-ups to look forward to. With less than three weeks to go, the stage is set and everything is ready for the athletes to enjoy an unrivalled experience and to thrill all those millions of fans watching in France and around the world.”

The 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams were allocated to three pools of four teams based on their rankings due to performances over the last two years of the HSBC SVNS Series, Challenger Series and other World Rugby-sanctioned tournaments.

Blitzboks drawn in Pool A

Hosts France and their superstar Antoine Dupont will start their Olympic campaign in Pool C together with two-time Olympic champions Fiji, USA and debutants Uruguay.

SVNS league winners Argentina will also face tough competition in Pool B where they will meet Australia, Samoa and Kenya while Pool A sees top seed New Zealand grouped with Ireland, Japan and South Africa who just qualified from the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco.

In the women’s competition, the battle will also be fierce with three very competitive pools.

Reigning Olympic Champions and SVNS League Winners New Zealand will be strong contenders and face Fiji, Canada and freshly qualified China in Pool A.

Pool B will also provide fascinating competition with Rio 2016 Olympic and SVNS 2024 Grand Final champions Australia facing Ireland, Great Britain and debutants South Africa.

Hosts France have been placed in Pool C as one of three top ranked teams and will look to improve on their silver medal at Tokyo 2020 with pool matches against the USA, Japan and Brazil.

The top two teams in all three pools plus the two best third-placed finishers will progress to the quarter-final stage.

The Blitzboks lost in the quarter-finals against Argentina at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics after picking up the bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics where rugby sevens made its debut.

‘Thrilled’

World Rugby Chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are thrilled to unveil the rugby sevens Olympic pools  for what promises to be an epic, coming-of-age tournament for our sport in the French capital.

“In one month’s time, our sport will have the honour of kicking-off Paris 2024 in style with an exciting and spectacular brand of rugby that will excite the hundreds of thousands of fans in Stade de France and capture millions more hearts and minds of those watching around the world.

“Rugby sevens is a fantastic engine to grow our sport and on its third Olympic appearance is already proving to be one of the attractions of the Games with record enthusiasm for tickets, mouthwatering rivalries and two strong French national teams hoping to achieve their Olympic dreams on home soil.

“We know from Rugby World Cup 2023 what an amazing rugby show Paris can put on and the Olympic Games will be no different with knowledgeable and passionate fans expected to fill the stadium and create an incredible atmosphere for the players and teams to showcase their unique combination of speed, strength and sensational skills.”

The Paris Olympics 2024 men’s competition will take place from 24-27 July, with the women’s tournament following on 28-30 July.

The men’s gold medal match on 27 July will see the first team sport gold medal of the Games awarded.

The Springbok Sevens side won 14-5.

The rugby sevens tournaments at the 2024 Olympics in Paris are scheduled to run from 24 to 30 July at Stade de France. 

Twenty four teams (12 each for men and women) will compete against each other in their respective tournaments. 

South Africa will have two teams at Paris Olympics

For the first time, the rugby sevens matches will commence two days before the opening ceremony with the men’s preliminary and quarter-final stages.

The competition will then take a break for the opening ceremony on 26 July before the medal-winning teams are officially unveiled a day later.

The women’s tournament will be held between 28 and 30 July, culminating with the gold and bronze medal matches.

The 12 men’s teams to have qualified are Argentina, Australia, Fiji, France, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa, USA and Uruguay.

South Africa will also have a women’s team contest the women’s rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics.

After losing their three pool matches – against Ireland, New Zealand and Fiji – the Blitzboks delivered their best performance of the weekend in the fifth-place semi-final against Australia on Sunday morning, winning by 24-21.

However, they could not replicate that in the fifth-place playoff against the Irish, who won a close contest by 12-7.

Blitzboks showed great resilience

Against Australia, the Blitzboks showed some great resilience to clinch their first victory of the weekend.

The Aussies opened the scoring with a try by Matthew Gonzalez, but two tries in quick succession by Rosko Specman, after Tristan Leyds hit a gap, and an intercept five-pointer from the restart by Ryan Oosthuizen, gave the Blitzboks at 12-7 lead at the break.

Ben Dowling’s try put Australia back in the lead, but then Quewin Nortje underlined his promise with a superb solo-try as he hacked the ball ahead and outpaced the defence to score under the sticks.

Siviwe Soyizwapi scored the Blitzboks’ fourth try to make it 24-14 with time running out, and although the Aussies clawed one back at the death, by James Turner, it was too little, too late.

Ireland controlled possession and set up camp in the Blitzboks’ half in the first half of their playoff match, and took at 12-0 lead into the break.

Zac Ward scored Ireland’s first try in the opening after he bust a Blitzbok tackle, and Harry McNulty’s try then made it 12-0.

The Blitzboks made a step up after the break, and with their first scoring opportunity two minutes in, Siviwe Soyizwapi lost the ball over the tryline.

Impi Visser finally gave the Blitzboks some hope with a try that started in their own 22 with less than two minutes to go, but that was it for the South Africans as Ireland won a late penalty and played out time to seal the win.

SCORERS:

South Africa 24-21 Australia

South Africa

Tries: Rosko Specman, Ryan Oosthuizen, Quewin Nortje, Siviwe Soyizwapi

Conversions: Tristan Leyds (2)

Australia 

Tries: Matthew Gonzalez, Ben Dowling, James Turner

Conversions: Dietrich Roache (3)

South Africa 7-12 Ireland

South Africa

Try: Impi Visser

Conversion: Selvyn Davids

Ireland 

Tries: Zac Ward, Harry McNulty

Conversion: Hugo Lennox

The Springbok Sevens team lost all three of their Pool B matches to finish bottom the group.

Meanwhile, Australia finished third in Pool A after one win and two losses.

The match will take place at 11:11 (SA time).

The winner of the clash will face the winner of the other fifth-placed semi-final between Ireland and Great Britain to determine fifth and sixth places overall at 14:29 (SA time).

The losers of those matches will square off for seventh and eighth place at 14:05 (SA time).

Earlier, the Springbok Sevens side suffered two more defeats in Spain on Saturday on what was the third day of the final tournament of the 2024 season.

The South Africans lost 33-24 against New Zealand in a dramatic match and then 26-7 to Fiji to finish last in Pool B and winless so far in Spain.

To add insult to injury, Dylan Sage cried off with a knee injury and is an unlikely starter on Sunday.

As reported by The South African website, the Blitzboks lost 26-21 to Ireland in their opening pool match on Friday.

Three yellow cards

The match against New Zealand touched on the bizarre, with the Blitzboks given three yellow cards in quick succession for tackle infringements and at one stage they only had four players on the field to front up to the New Zealanders.

Despite that – and even scoring a try with five players on the field – the final say belonged to the Kiwis in a match where the lead changed hands six times.

Two tries in quick succession by Christie Grobbelaar and Quewin Nortje eliminated the advantage an early Dylan Collier try gave New Zealand, before a penalty try to the Kiwis cancelled out a Selvyn Davids try.

The second half was again helter skelter, but Moses Leo had the final say with his try after the final hooter, giving New Zealand the edge.

Against Fiji, the Blitzboks looked flat against an opponent who looked full of life.

The Fijian offloading game asked too many questions of the defence and they were up 21-0 at the break.

The second half saw a better SA effort, but in the end, they came up short, not only in the match, but on the day.

SCORERS

South Africa 24-33 New Zealand

South Africa 

Tries: Christie Grobbelaar, Quewin Nortje (2), Selvyn Davids

Conversions: Justin Geduld, Tristan Leyds

New Zealand 

Tries: Dylan Collier, Penalty Try, Leroy Carter (2), Moses Leo

Conversions: Andrew Knewstubb (2), Akuila Rokolisoa

South Africa 7-26 Fiji

South Africa 

Try: Rosko Specman

Conversion: Tristan Leyds

Fiji 

Tries: Jerry Tuwai, Waisea Nacuqo, Tira Wilagi, Viwa Naduvalo

Conversions: Nacuqo (3)

The South Africans lost 33-24 against New Zealand in a dramatic match and then 26-7 to Fiji to finish last in Pool B and winless so far in Spain.

To add insult to injury, Dylan Sage cried off with a knee injury and is an unlikely starter on Sunday.

As reported by The South African website, the Blitzboks lost 26-21 to Ireland in their opening pool match on Friday.

Three yellow cards

The match against New Zealand touched on the bizarre, with the Blitzboks given three yellow cards in quick succession for tackle infringements and at one stage they only had four players on the field to front up to the New Zealanders.

Despite that – and even scoring a try with five players on the field – the final say belonged to the Kiwis in a match where the lead changed hands six times.

Two tries in quick succession by Christie Grobbelaar and Quewin Nortje eliminated the advantage an early Dylan Collier try gave New Zealand, before a penalty try to the Kiwis cancelled out a Selvyn Davids try.

The second half was again helter skelter, but Moses Leo had the final say with his try after the final hooter, giving New Zealand the edge.

Against Fiji, the Blitzboks looked flat against an opponent who looked full of life.

The Fijian offloading game asked too many questions of the defence and they were up 21-0 at the break.

The second half saw a better SA effort, but in the end, they came up short, not only in the match, but on the day.

SCORERS

South Africa 24-33 New Zealand

South Africa 

Tries: Christie Grobbelaar, Quewin Nortje (2), Selvyn Davids

Conversions: Justin Geduld, Tristan Leyds

New Zealand 

Tries: Dylan Collier, Penalty Try, Leroy Carter (2), Moses Leo

Conversions: Andrew Knewstubb (2), Akuila Rokolisoa

South Africa 7-26 Fiji

South Africa 

Try: Rosko Specman

Conversion: Tristan Leyds

Fiji 

Tries: Jerry Tuwai, Waisea Nacuqo, Tira Wilagi, Viwa Naduvalo

Conversions: Nacuqo (3)

Blitzboks’ hearts broken

The Irish – trailing 14-7 at the break of the Pool B match against South Africa in the Civitas Metropolitano Stadium – overhauled the Blitzboks with a try two minutes into injury time in a match that had spectators at the edge of their seats throughout.

Tiaan Pretorius scored first after a delightful step past two Irish defenders, before Ireland got one back when Terry Kennedy kicked ahead and won the race to the South African tryline.

Tristan Leyds scored just before the break after a smooth backline move to restore the lead and when Quewin Nortje scored from the second half restart to put the Blitzboks 21-7 ahead, they were in the pound seats.

Credit to Ireland though.

First Zac Ward ran 70m after breaking three SA tackles before a Gavin Mullin brace broke South African hearts with two tries, the second of which came after a long passage of play with no time left on the clock.

The Blitzboks will face New Zealand at 13:44 (SA time) and Fiji at 16:49 (SA time) on Saturday, 1 June.

SCORERS

South Africa

Tries: Tiaan Pretorius, Tristan Leyds, Quewin Nortje

Conversions: Selvyn Davids, Leyds (2)

Ireland

Tries: Terry Kennedy, Zac Ward, Gavin Mullin (2)

Conversions: Billy Dardis, Hugo Lennox (2)

The experienced flyhalf played in both tournaments two years ago, and although he suffered a serious knee injury in the second, Geduld is eager to set boots onto Spanish soil again and come away with more Cup memories as the 2024 series concludes with the Grand Finale in Madrid.

‘Injuries are part of the game’

“The injury in Seville was a bad one for me and took me away from the game for quite some time, but I am very happy to be back here in Spain again,” said Geduld as the Blitzboks went through their paces in sunny Madrid.

“Injuries are part of the game and at the time, I did not realise how long it was going to take me to get back.”

At the time of his injury, Geduld just played his 50th tournament in Malaga and will only now compete in his 60th, such was the effect of the injury on his career.

“The injury is a thing of the past and the positive was that it extended my career with the Blitzboks,” he said.

“I can now actually try and get to a third Olympics with the team.”

In 2016, Geduld was part of the squad that won bronze and in 2021, he was back again when they finished just off the podium in Tokyo, where South Africa placed fifth.

The Blitzboks will play in the Olympic repechage tournament in Monaco next month and although that is very much on the radar of the squad, they will use this final HSBC SVNS opportunity to fine-tune their game even more, as they are getting to grips to the changes expected and implemented by interim-coach, Philip Snyman.

“We are all very keen to play in that tournament, but for now, we need to use this opportunity to show we are the right players for that one too,” said Geduld.

“There is a strong belief in the squad about our capabilities and what is needed to be successful. Things are coming together nicely, and the improvement is there for everyone to see.

“We enter the tournament with clarity about our plan and how we want to play this weekend. If we execute well, we will be successful in Spain again.”

Blitzboks in Pool B

The top eight-placed teams from the first seven previous events in the 2023/24 SVNS series will compete in Spain.

The teams placed between ninth to 12th will compete in a promotion/relegation-style event with the top four teams from the men’s and women’s Challenger Series to decide which teams stay as core teams. 

Teams have been split into pools based on their seeding during the regular season and Challenger Series.

Thanks to their seventh-placed finish in the regular season, the Blitzboks have been drawn in Pool B alongside Ireland (second place), New Zealand (third place) and sixth-placed Fiji.

The Blitzboks will face Ireland on Friday, 31 May at 14:37 (SA time) in their opening pool match.

They will then face New Zealand at 13:44 (SA time) and Fiji at 16:49 (SA time) on Saturday, 1 June.

POINTS STANDINGS

Despite an unbeaten run in their three pool matches, the Blitzboks unfortunately came unstuck in both their playoffs, going down by 29-24 to Australia in the quarter-finals on Saturday – with their opponents clinching the victory with a golden try in extra time – before Sunday morning’s result against Argentina.

The Blitzboks led 10-0 at the break after first half tries by Tiaan Pretorius and Siviwe Soyizwapi, but both conversions were unsuccessful.

The Argentineans then came back with a spirited second-half display, scoring the match winning-try in the final minute to condemn the South Africans to a second consecutive sixth-place finish at the end of the league phase of the season.

The Blitzboks finished in seventh position overall, but still have a lot to play for in the Grand Finale in Madrid later this month, before they will set their sights on qualifying for the Paris Olympics 2024 in Monaco next month.

As a result of their victory, Argentina finished top of the overall standings and were crowned league champions, with Ireland unable to catch Argentina on the log, despite reaching the Singapore final where they lost to New Zealand.

SCORERS

South Africa

Tries: Siviwe Soyizwapi, Tiaan Pretorius

Argentina

Tries: Agustin Fraga, Tobias Wade

Conversions: Wade (2)

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from the 2023/2024 HSBC SVNS series.

STANDINGS AFTER SINGAPORE SEVENS

Having topped the Pool B standings after beating Spain, Samoa and France, the Blitzboks would’ve had high hopes of strong performances in the playoff stages.

Alas, they lost in extra-time in the quarter-finals to Australia – and then lost to Argentina in the battle for fifth-place.

The Blitzboks led 10-0 at half-time thanks to two unconverted tries, but then let it slipped in the second half as they conceded two converted tries which gave their South American opponents the 14-10 victory.

It’s back to the drawing board for the Blitzboks ahead of the next tournament in Spain between 31 May and 2 June.

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Singapore.

STANDINGS AHEAD OF SINGAPORE SEVENS

SPRINGBOK SEVENS SQUAD FOR SINGAPORE

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 19 tournaments, 150 points (30 tries)
#3 Impi Visser – 37 tournaments, 195 points (39 tries)
#4 Zain Davids – 47 tournaments, 205 points (41 tries)
#6 Tiaan Pretorius – 6 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 35 tournaments, 643 points (82 tries, 115 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#10 Dewald Human – 25 tournaments, 280 points (24 tries, 80 conversions)
#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 51 tournaments, 750 points (150 tries)
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 19 tournaments, 180 points (36 tries)
#14 Rosko Specman – 34 tournaments, 461 points (85 tries, 18 conversions)
#24 Tristan Leyds – 3 tournaments, 33 points (5 tries, 4 conversions)
#28 Dylan Sage – 26 tournaments, 160 points (32 tries)
#30 Quewin Nortje – 4 tournaments, 55 points (11 tries)
#35 Katlego Letebele – 6 tournaments, 5 points (1 try)

It was high drama in the match against the Aussies, who led 24-5 with three minutes to go, but three Blitzbok tries – by Tristan Leyds, Christie Grobbelaar and Quewin Nortje – saw them level the scores at the death.

In added time, with the golden point at play, the Blitzboks had a kickable penalty, but opted for a scrum, which led to nothing.

Moments later, Shilton van Wyk was sent to the sin-bin for a dangerous tackle, which opened the necessary space for Nick Malouf to score the match-winning try and send Australia into the semi-finals.

South Africa will now play world series leaders Argentina for fifth place, at 09:55 (SA time) on Sunday.

Blitzboks beat France earlier in the day

Earlier on Saturday, Dylan Sage scored a magnificent try after the buzzer to help secure a nail-biting 20-19 victory in their final pool game against France.

The Blitzboks squandered a 15-0 lead in two minutes against the resilient French after a strong start, with defensive pressure forcing mistakes from the team in blue.

When Selvyn Davids was yellow carded for a deliberate knock-down though, the tide seemed to turn.

A minute later though, France also lost a player to the sin-bin and the Blitzboks immediately struck, with Nortje going over for a great try in the left corner after five minutes.

Shortly after Davids’ return to the field, Leyds scored in the same corner from a brilliant set move.

The Blitzboks had a scrum and went right, but Shilton van Wyk saw the space on the left and his cross-kick found and unmarked Leyds, whose try made it 10-0.

They were not done yet and after forcing a French knock-on through more pressure on defence, Selvyn Davids darted away for a third try – also unconverted – to see the Blitzboks in control at 15-0 at the break.

Midway through the second half, the French found their rhythm and exploited restart mistakes from the Blitzboks to score three tries in two minutes – two of which were converted – and suddenly, with time almost up on the clock, they led by 19-15.

However, the Blitzboks showed superb resilience and from a penalty on their own 5m-line, Leyds tapped and Rosko Specman found space up the middle of the field, before the ball was worked to the left for Sage, who is playing in his first tournament in four years, to go over for the winner after the buzzer

Roles were reversed in the quarter-final though, with the Aussies taking a commanding 24-5 lead before the drama late in the match.

Leading by 17-5 at the break – with Zain Davids’ brilliant 60m effort the Blitzboks’ only points as they had almost no possession in the half – Australia added a fourth try 90 seconds into the second stanza.

With four minutes to go and time running out, Leyds scored from a tap penalty, but the conversion again sailed wide – this was the Blitzboks’ 10th consecutive failed conversion, which is something they will have to address, although Dewald Human’s injury on the opening day robbed them of a good kicker.

From the restart, Grobbelaar pounced on a loose ball behind a ruck and crashed over, with Leyds adding the extras to make it a seven point game.

Nortje then ripped open the Aussie defence in midfield for a try under the uprights with 30 seconds to go, but four minutes later, in extra time, Van Wyk’s yellow and Malouf’s try ended the Blitzboks’ charge in Singapore.

Blitzbok coach Philip Snyman was distraught after the defeat against Australia.

“We were a little bit sloppy at the start, but the guys showed great effort and a lot of character to come back from 24-5 down with three tries to level the scores,” said Snyman.

“In extra time, we had three opportunities which we didn’t convert into points, and maybe we could have taken one or two different options from our plays, but that is in the past now and we can’t do anything about it.

“We’re disappointed with the result as our aim was to make at least the semi-finals and although we came close, it was heartbreaking for the guys.

“We need to learn and make better decisions on the field, and be more clinical when we have opportunities.”

Snyman said they will go back to the drawing board before Sunday’s clash with Argentina: “We need to be clinincal, but this team will have to rock up and show character tomorrow. We want to turn things around, play with the right mindset, and show what this Springbok Sevens team can do.”

SCORERS

South Africa 20 (15) France 19 (0)
SA – Tries: Quewin Nortje, Tristan Leyds, Selvyn Davids, Dylan Sage.
France – Tries: Aaron Grandidier (2), JP Barraque. Conversions: Barraque (2).

South Africa 24 (5) Australia 29 (17)
SA – Tries: Zain Davids, Tristan Leyds, Christie Grobbelaar, Quewin Nortje. Conversions: Leyds, Selvyn Davids.
Australia – Tries: Nathan Lawson (2), Dietrich Roache, Henry Hutchison, Nick Malouf (golden point). Conversions: Roache (2)

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Singapore.

STANDINGS AHEAD OF SINGAPORE SEVENS

SPRINGBOK SEVENS SQUAD FOR SINGAPORE

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 19 tournaments, 150 points (30 tries)
#3 Impi Visser – 37 tournaments, 195 points (39 tries)
#4 Zain Davids – 47 tournaments, 205 points (41 tries)
#6 Tiaan Pretorius – 6 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 35 tournaments, 643 points (82 tries, 115 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#10 Dewald Human – 25 tournaments, 280 points (24 tries, 80 conversions)
#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 51 tournaments, 750 points (150 tries)
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 19 tournaments, 180 points (36 tries)
#14 Rosko Specman – 34 tournaments, 461 points (85 tries, 18 conversions)
#24 Tristan Leyds – 3 tournaments, 33 points (5 tries, 4 conversions)
#28 Dylan Sage – 26 tournaments, 160 points (32 tries)
#30 Quewin Nortje – 4 tournaments, 55 points (11 tries)
#35 Katlego Letebele – 6 tournaments, 5 points (1 try)

After beating Spain 31-7 and Samoa 15-10 on Friday, the Blitzboks edged France 20-19 on Saturday to finish top of Pool B.

They will now go on to play Australia on Saturday at 14:12 (SA time).

Australia finished second in Pool A.

The winner of that match will take on the winner of the quarter-final between the United States and New Zealand, in the semi-finals on Sunday at 08:12 (SA time).

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Singapore.

STANDINGS AHEAD OF SINGAPORE SEVENS

SPRINGBOK SEVENS SQUAD FOR SINGAPORE

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 19 tournaments, 150 points (30 tries)
#3 Impi Visser – 37 tournaments, 195 points (39 tries)
#4 Zain Davids – 47 tournaments, 205 points (41 tries)
#6 Tiaan Pretorius – 6 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 35 tournaments, 643 points (82 tries, 115 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#10 Dewald Human – 25 tournaments, 280 points (24 tries, 80 conversions)
#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 51 tournaments, 750 points (150 tries)
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 19 tournaments, 180 points (36 tries)
#14 Rosko Specman – 34 tournaments, 461 points (85 tries, 18 conversions)
#24 Tristan Leyds – 3 tournaments, 33 points (5 tries, 4 conversions)
#28 Dylan Sage – 26 tournaments, 160 points (32 tries)
#30 Quewin Nortje – 4 tournaments, 55 points (11 tries)
#35 Katlego Letebele – 6 tournaments, 5 points (1 try)

The Blitzboks scored five tries, but were also forced to defend at times during the game, which they did very well to keep the Spanish out until they crossed after the hooter had sounded.

Selvyn Davids scored the first try one minute in when he showed great speed from the back of an attacking scrum just outside the Spanish 22.

Dewald Human converted to make it 7-0, and then he scored the second try a few minutes later after a string of penalties against Spain.

The last penalty was close to Spain’s own tryline and Human didn’t need a second invitation to tap and crash over for the try to stretch the Blitzboks’ lead to 12-0.

Spain finished the half strong but the Blitzboks’ defence held firm in their own 22 to take their 12-point lead into the break.

Blitzboks drawn in Pool B

From the restart, Christie Grobbelaar set off on a strong run, but he was stopped just short. A few phases later though, Impi Visser found space and scored the Blitzboks’ third try, with Human adding the extras to make it 19-0.

Tristan Leyds then made it 26-0 after a great steal on the ground by Visser, who fed the speedster to race away for the try, which was converted by Selvyn Davids.

Rosko Specman celebrated the start of his 35th tournament in style when he grabbed the Blitzboks’ fifth try from a clever grubber to make it 31-0.

Spain grabbed a consolation try after the buzzer, but the Blitzboks had done what they needed by then.

Their next pool game on Friday is at 13:18 (SA time) against Samoa.

They face France on Saturday, 4 May at 08:24 (SA time) in their final Pool B match.

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Singapore.

LATEST STANDINGS

SPRINGBOK SEVENS SQUAD FOR SINGAPORE

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 19 tournaments, 150 points (30 tries)
#3 Impi Visser – 37 tournaments, 195 points (39 tries)
#4 Zain Davids – 47 tournaments, 205 points (41 tries)
#6 Tiaan Pretorius – 6 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 35 tournaments, 643 points (82 tries, 115 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#10 Dewald Human – 25 tournaments, 280 points (24 tries, 80 conversions)
#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 51 tournaments, 750 points (150 tries)
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 19 tournaments, 180 points (36 tries)
#14 Rosko Specman – 34 tournaments, 461 points (85 tries, 18 conversions)
#24 Tristan Leyds – 3 tournaments, 33 points (5 tries, 4 conversions)
#28 Dylan Sage – 26 tournaments, 160 points (32 tries)
#30 Quewin Nortje – 4 tournaments, 55 points (11 tries)
#35 Katlego Letebele – 6 tournaments, 5 points (1 try)

The South African team is currently in seventh position on the overall sevens series log after a wretched campaign under the now-fired coach Sandile Ngcobo, who was sacked and replaced by Philip Snyman.

And with Singapore being the second-last tournament season (the Madrid Sevens will take place from 31 May to 2 June), the Blitzboks have virtually no shot at winning any silverware and thus have very little to play for.

But Pretorius, who is one of the relatively new members of the Blitzboks squad, is adamant they are capable of beating the best on the basis that they’ve been competitive throughout the 2023-2024 series.

“We are really geared up for this one as we all understand the importance of getting some momentum for the remainder of the season,” said Pretorius.

“In my case, I also have a point to proof [sic]. I last played in Cape Town, but got injured and that was a bit of a downer. But I am back now, fit and ready and keen to contribute to the team goals for the weekend.”

WILL PRETORIUS GO FROM BLITZBOKS ACE TO SPRINGBOKS STAR LIKE UNCLE KWAGGA?

Pretorius admits that having Kwagga Smith, a double Rugby World Cup winner with the Springboks and a former Blitzbok, as an uncle has been inspirational in his own rugby career.

“Look what he has achieved due to hard work,” the Blitzboks ace said. “His success came because he outworked others wherever he played. That inspires me, as it shows that it can be done. He also got bronze at the Olympics and that for now, is something that I can relate and aspire to.”

Pretorius understands that a good performance in Singapore can put him on the inside lane for Madrid and Monaco: “There were some changes in the squad since I last played, and the change in belief is the one I liked most. The team realise that the season is not over and that a lot can still be achieved. I want to be part of that.”

Blitzboks pool schedule:

Friday, 3 May
7:58am, vs Spain
1:10pm, vs Samoa

Saturday, 4 May
8:24am, vs France

Interim head coach Philip Snyman also recalled Tiaan Pretorius, Tristan Leyds and Rosko Specman for the trip to Singapore, where South Africa will face France, Spain and Samoa in Pool B of the tournament.

Pretorius last played in Cape Town and Specman and Leyds in Los Angeles.

The return of Sage – following four years of fifteens rugby with the Bulls and Montauban in France – and Soyizwapi, who recovered from a knee injury that ruled him out for the first five months of the series, bring massive experience and big game temperament to the squad, and both are keen to hit the ground running.

Sage, who last played in Singapore in 2018, decided to give his ambition for a second Olympic Games medal another chance, something in the current scenario, could be seen as an interesting call as the Blitzboks have not even qualified for the 2024 Paris event yet.

That once-off opportunity will come in June, when the Olympic repechage event will be played in Monaco.

“There are enough old heads here that helped me slot in with ease, I have played a lot of rugby with most of the senior guys, so there are really only just a couple of new players for me to get used to,” Sage explained.

“For now, just want to get some tournament time in and get the feet working to the sevens beat again.”

When will the Blitzboks be in action?

The South African side face Spain (07h58 SA time) and Samoa (13h10 SA time) in their opening pool games on Friday, and France on Saturday morning at 08h24 (SA time).

On the overall team standings, the Blitzboks dwindle down in a disappointing 11th place, and will be desperately hoping a new-look squad can facilitate a reversal in fortunes.

The Springbok Sevens squad for Singapore:

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 19 tournaments, 150 points (30 tries)
#3 Impi Visser – 37 tournaments, 195 points (39 tries)
#4 Zain Davids – 47 tournaments, 205 points (41 tries)
#6 Tiaan Pretorius – 6 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 35 tournaments, 643 points (82 tries, 115 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#10 Dewald Human – 25 tournaments, 280 points (24 tries, 80 conversions)
#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 51 tournaments, 750 points (150 tries)
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 19 tournaments, 180 points (36 tries)
#14 Rosko Specman – 34 tournaments, 461 points (85 tries, 18 conversions)
#24 Tristan Leyds – 3 tournaments, 33 points (5 tries, 4 conversions)
#28 Dylan Sage – 26 tournaments, 160 points (32 tries)
#30 Quewin Nortje – 4 tournaments, 55 points (11 tries)
#35 Katlego Letebele – 6 tournaments, 5 points (1 try)

The stop in Singapore will take place between 3 and 5 May.

The inclusion of the two stalwarts is among five changes made to the squad that finished sixth in Hong Kong earlier this month.

Interim head coach Philip Snyman also recalled Tiaan Pretorius, Tristan Leyds and Rosko Specman for the trip to Singapore, where South Africa will face France, Spain and Samoa in Pool B of the tournament.

Pretorius last played in Cape Town, and Specman and Leyds in Los Angeles.

The return of Sage – following four years of XVs rugby with the Bulls and Montauban in France – and Soyizwapi, who recovered from a knee injury that ruled him out for the first five months of the series, bring massive experience and big game temperament to the squad, and both are keen to hit the ground running.

Specman, due to play in his 35th tournament, was a late withdrawal from the Hong Kong trip due to a knee strain, while Snyman said Leyds and Pretorius will bring energy and game breaking abilities.

Snyman said: “We selected the squad with several things in mind. We still have to put ourselves in a position to make the top four in every tournament, and to do that, we want to top our pool and then win our quarter-final. That has not changed, but we also are gearing up for the Grand Finale in Madrid and the very important Olympic repechage tournament.”

The Blitzbok coach said these things influenced the selection of the Singapore squad, as well as a couple of injuries sustained in Hong Kong.

“Ronald Brown is injured, and Ryan Oosthuizen is also given a rest to recover from a knock, but we also used the opportunity to bring in fresh legs,” said Snyman.

“Ideally, we want to be able to have three players in each position available for selection when it comes to the last two big tournaments, and that will give Tristan and Tiaan the opportunity to build some momentum.”

Snyman was very pleased about the return of Sage, Soyizwapi and Specman.

“They are three massively experienced players with very positive personalities and will bring energy and skill to this group,” he said.

“‘Shakes’ worked really hard to get back to fitness, and Dylan slotted in as if he never left. Rosko was due to play in Hong Kong, so we are happy to have him fit and ready this time.”

The team will depart for Singapore on Sunday.

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Singapore.

LATEST STANDINGS

Springbok Sevens squad for Singapore

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 19 tournaments, 150 points (30 tries)
#3 Impi Visser – 37 tournaments, 195 points (39 tries)
#4 Zain Davids – 47 tournaments, 205 points (41 tries)
#6 Tiaan Pretorius – 6 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 35 tournaments, 643 points (82 tries, 115 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#10 Dewald Human – 25 tournaments, 280 points (24 tries, 80 conversions)
#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 51 tournaments, 750 points (150 tries)
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 19 tournaments, 180 points (36 tries)
#14 Rosko Specman – 34 tournaments, 461 points (85 tries, 18 conversions)
#24 Tristan Leyds – 3 tournaments, 33 points (5 tries, 4 conversions)
#28 Dylan Sage – 26 tournaments, 160 points (32 tries)
#30 Quewin Nortje – 4 tournaments, 55 points (11 tries)
#35 Katlego Letebele – 6 tournaments, 5 points (1 try)

According to interim head coach Philip Snyman, their next aim is to rise back into the top four again.

Snyman’s assessment came after the Blitzboks finished sixth in the Hong Kong Sevens tournament, which saw them qualify for the Grand Final of the reimagined HSBC SVNS in Madrid at the end of May.

The Blitzboks picked up enough log points in Hong Kong, where they delivered their third best finish in the season so far, to remain in the top eight on the overall log and will be part of the winner-takes-all spectacle in Spain.

“It was important for us to stop the slide down the rankings, and I am pleased we could do that,” said Snyman.

“We also topped our pool for the first time in a while, which is evidence of the team’s improvement from the North American leg.”

However, after topping their pool, the Blitzboks were beaten in their last two outings, losing 15-0 to Australia in the quarter-finals on Saturday, and by 33-14 to Fiji on Sunday in the fifth-place playoff.

With their tickets to Madrid booked, the next tournament (Singapore, 3-5 May) will be used to fine-tune their squad for the trip to Spain and the repechage tournament for Olympic Games qualification in Monaco in June, Snyman said.

Meanwhile, New Zealand completed the ‘double’ in Hong Kong, winning both the men’s and women’s titles.

It’s been a downhill slide for the Springbok Sevens side after they triumphed on home soil in Cape Town in the opening round last December.

The Blitzboks entered the Hong Kong tournament in seventh place in the overall standings.

There have been several changes to this season’s series, most notably only 12 competing teams, down from 16 in previous editions.

In addition, there will only be eight tournaments this season, down from 11 last season.

Also, the points awarded to teams after each tournament has changed.

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Hong Kong.

STANDINGS AFTER HONG KONG SEVENS

The Springboks Sevens side, who were looking for their first ever victory in Hong Kong, went through the pool phase unbeaten with wins over Ireland, Spain and Samoa.

However, they were beaten by Australia in the Cup quarter-finals, which saw them drop into the 5th-place playoffs.

Fiji proved far too strong for the Blitzboks in that match, winning 33-14.

Meanwhile, New Zealand and France will contest the final at at 12:53 (SA time) on Sunday.

It’s been a downhill slide for the Springbok Sevens side after they triumphed on home soil in Cape Town in the opening round last December.

The Blitzboks entered the Hong Kong tournament in seventh place in the overall standings.

There have been several changes to this season’s series, most notably only 12 competing teams, down from 16 in previous editions.

In addition, there will only be eight tournaments this season, down from 11 last season.

Also, the points awarded to teams after each tournament has changed.

The seventh and penultimate tournament will take place in Singapore from 3 to 5 May

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Hong Kong.

SPRINGBOK SEVENS SQUAD

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 18 tournaments, 160 points
#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 48 tournaments, 215 points
#3 Impi Visser – 36 tournaments, 190 points
#4 Zain Davids – 46 tournaments, 205 points
#7 Ronald Brown – 16 tournaments, 377 points
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 34 tournaments, 643 points
#9 Shaun Williams – 15 tournaments, 140 points
#10 Dewald Human – 23 tournaments, 253 points
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 18 tournaments, 165 points
#21 Darren Adonis – 13 tournaments, 66 points
#23 Justin Geduld – 58 tournaments, 1 119 points
#30 Quewin Nortje – 3 tournaments, 45 points
#35 Katlego Letebele – 5 tournaments, 0 points

STANDINGS AHEAD OF HONG KONG SEVENS

Earlier on the second day of the tournament, South Africa outplayed Samoa 26-7 to top their pool, but they could not find the same attacking direction without inspirational captain Selvyn Davids or Ronald Brown.

Brown picked up an injury against Samoa and Davids was suspended for a high tackle against the islanders.

With Justin Geduld also out suspended, they faced Australia with only 10 players to choose from.

That proved a bridge too far for the SA side.

Australia managed to negate their opponents’ tactic of kick and chase, something that worked wonders all weekend and in a tight match, scored once in each half to clinch the win.

Nathan Lawson opened the scoring after two minutes from a good counter-attack, while Maurice Longbottom scored a try with four minutes to go.

He converted the try and kicked a long-range penalty goal two minutes later.

Stand-in captain Zain Davids said playing with a depleted squad was not an excuse.

“We trained hard back home in Stellenbosch and have scenarios like this worked into the sessions,” said Zain Davids.

“We were just not good enough in this match and that is very disappointing. We did not play 100% to our potential, that was our problem, not the numbers.”

Blitzboks will face Fiji in the 5th-place playoffs

Against Samoa, the Blitzboks showed good early momentum and held a 19-0 lead at the break. Tries by Shilton van Wyk, Quewin Nortje and Impi Visser eased them into a strong lead and although Samoa rallied in the second half, the SA side had the points in the bank.

The Blitzboks can still earn valuable log points on Sunday.

They face Fiji at 09:00 (SA time) in the fifth place playoff.

“We can still finish strong in the tournament and redeem ourselves,” said Zain Davids.

“We had a good chat in the huddle now and everyone accepted that we did not play according to our standards and that the match against Fiji gives us a change to rectify that. So we come out stronger tomorrow.”

SCORERS

South Africa 0-15 Australia
Australia – Tries: Nathan Lawson, Maurice Longbottom. Conversion: Longbottom. Penalty goal: Longbottom.

South Africa 26-7 Samoa
SA  – Tries: Shilton van Wyk, Quewin Nortje, Impi Visser, Shaun Williams. Conversions: Dewald Human (2).
Samoa – Try: Uaina Sione. Conversion: Des Faoa.

The Springbok Sevens sides were far too strong for their islanders opponents, winning 26-7.

Meanwhile, as reported by The South African website, the Blitzboks picked up two wins on Day 1 in Hong Kong on Friday, 5 April.

The Springbok Sevens side, who entered the tournament in seventh place in the standings, beat second-ranked Ireland 22-17 in their opening match.

They followed that up with a 24-10 victory over Spain.

The Blitzboks are still awaiting the identity of their Cup quarter-final opponents. That match will take place at 12:01 (SA time) on Saturday.

The stop in Hong Kong is the sixth out of eight this season.

The Blitzboks have never triumphed in Hong Kong despite winning 40 sevens tournaments around the world.

Meanwhile, it’s been a downhill slide for the Springbok Sevens side after they triumphed on home soil in Cape Town in the opening round last December.

There have been several changes to this season’s series, most notably only 12 competing teams, down from 16 in previous editions.

In addition, there will only be eight tournaments this season, down from 11 last season.

Also, the points awarded to teams after each tournament has changed.

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Hong Kong.

SPRINGBOK SEVENS SQUAD FOR HONG KONG

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 18 tournaments, 160 points
#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 48 tournaments, 215 points
#3 Impi Visser – 36 tournaments, 190 points
#4 Zain Davids – 46 tournaments, 205 points
#7 Ronald Brown – 16 tournaments, 377 points
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 34 tournaments, 643 points
#9 Shaun Williams – 15 tournaments, 140 points
#10 Dewald Human – 23 tournaments, 253 points
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 18 tournaments, 165 points
#21 Darren Adonis – 13 tournaments, 66 points
#23 Justin Geduld – 58 tournaments, 1 119 points
#30 Quewin Nortje – 3 tournaments, 45 points
#35 Katlego Letebele – 5 tournaments, 0 points

STANDINGS AHEAD OF HONG KONG SEVENS

The Springbok Sevens side, who entered the tournament in seventh place in the standings, beat second-ranked Ireland 22-17 in their opening match.

They followed that up with a 24-10 victory over Spain.

The Blitzboks will play their third and final Pool C match against Samoa on Saturday, 6 April at 04:16 (SA time).

The stop in Hong Kong is the sixth out of eight this season.

The Blitzboks have never triumphed in Hong Kong despite winning 40 sevens tournaments around the world.

Meanwhile, it’s been a downhill slide for the Springbok Sevens side after they triumphed on home soil in Cape Town in the opening round last December.

There have been several changes to this season’s series, most notably only 12 competing teams, down from 16 in previous editions.

In addition, there will only be eight tournaments this season, down from 11 last season.

Also, the points awarded to teams after each tournament has changed.

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Hong Kong.

SPRINGBOK SEVENS SQUAD FOR HONG KONG

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 18 tournaments, 160 points
#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 48 tournaments, 215 points
#3 Impi Visser – 36 tournaments, 190 points
#4 Zain Davids – 46 tournaments, 205 points
#7 Ronald Brown – 16 tournaments, 377 points
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 34 tournaments, 643 points
#9 Shaun Williams – 15 tournaments, 140 points
#10 Dewald Human – 23 tournaments, 253 points
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 18 tournaments, 165 points
#21 Darren Adonis – 13 tournaments, 66 points
#23 Justin Geduld – 58 tournaments, 1 119 points
#30 Quewin Nortje – 3 tournaments, 45 points
#35 Katlego Letebele – 5 tournaments, 0 points

STANDINGS AHEAD OF HONG KONG SEVENS

The Springbok Sevens side finished a lowly 11th at the most recent stop on the 2023/24 HSBC SVNS series in Los Angeles.

It’s been a downhill slide for the Springbok Sevens side after they triumphed on home soil in Cape Town in the opening round last December.

The stop in Hong Kong will be the sixth out of eight this season.

The Blitzboks are now in seventh place in the overall standings.

There have been several changes to this season’s series, most notably only 12 competing teams, down from 16 in previous editions.

In addition, there will only be eight tournaments this season, down from 11 last season.

Also, the points awarded to teams after each tournament has changed.

The Blitzboks received a favourable draw in Pool C in Hong Kong alongside second-placed Ireland, 10th-placed Spain and 11th-ranked Samoa.

South Africa will open their campaign against Ireland on Friday, 5 April at 05:39 and will then face Spain at 08:23.

They will wrap up their pool commitments against Samoa on Saturday, 6 April at 04:16.

The South African website will keep you up to date with all the latest news and results from Hong Kong.

Springbok Sevens squad for Hong Kong

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 18 tournaments, 160 points
#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 48 tournaments, 215 points
#3 Impi Visser – 36 tournaments, 190 points
#4 Zain Davids – 46 tournaments, 205 points
#7 Ronald Brown – 16 tournaments, 377 points
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 34 tournaments, 643 points
#9 Shaun Williams – 15 tournaments, 140 points
#10 Dewald Human – 23 tournaments, 253 points
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 18 tournaments, 165 points
#21 Darren Adonis – 13 tournaments, 66 points
#23 Justin Geduld – 58 tournaments, 1 119 points
#30 Quewin Nortje – 3 tournaments, 45 points
#35 Katlego Letebele – 5 tournaments, 0 points

STANDINGS

Here is everything you need to note as you plan for your Easter weekend:

URC fixtures

Leinster v Bulls

Date: Friday, 29 March

Venue: RDS Arena, Dublin

Referee: Craig Evans

SA Time: 21h35

TV: SuperSport

Sharks v Edinburgh

Date: Saturday, 30 March

Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban

Referee: Eoghan Cross

SA Time: 15h00

TV: SuperSport

Ospreys v Lions

Date: Saturday, 30 March

Venue: Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea

Referee: Andrew Brace

SA Time: 17h05

TV: SuperSport

Stormers v Ulster

Date: Saturday, 30 March

Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town

Referee: Sam Grove-White

SA Time: 19h15

TV: SuperSport

All dates, fixtures and kick-off times correct at time of publishing

Easter schools rugby festivals

On the schools front, the Easter weekend festivals kick off on Thursday, 28 March, and after a break on Friday and Sunday, there will be further matches on Saturday, 30 March and Monday, 1 April.

THURSDAY, 28 MARCH

KEARSNEY COLLEGE

Worcester Gim v Rustenburg – 09:00

EG Jansen v Noord-Kaap – 10:20

Glenwood v Marlow – 11:40

Durban HS v Nico Malan – 13:00

Kearsney v Framesby – 14:20

Westville v Rondebosch – 15:40

ST JOHN’S COLLEGE

St David’s v Falcon College – 12:00

Voortrekker v Nelspruit – 13:40

Noordheuwel v Golden Lions XV – 14:50

SACS v Graeme – 16:00

Hilton v St Benedict’s – 17:10

Boland Landbou v Maritzburg College – 19:10

St John’s v Kingswood – 20:20

ST STITHIANS

Clifton v Northcliff – 09:00

Hartpury 2nd XV v St Alban’s – 10:10

Secunda v St Charles – 11:20

St Stithians v St Andrew’s – 12:30

Hartpury v Marais Viljoen – 13:40

Michaelhouse v St John’s (Harare) – 14:50

Helpmekaar v Diamantveld – 16:00

SATURDAY, 30 MARCH

KEARSNEY COLLEGE

Noord-Kaap v Nico Malan – 07:40

Westville v Pearson – 09:40

Marlow v Worcester Gim – 10:20

Durban HS v Rustenburg – 11:40

Framsby v Monument – 13:00

Glenwood v EG Jansen – 14:20

Kearsney v Rondebosch – 15:40

KES

Hudson Park v Parktown – 08:00

Northwood v Brandwag – 09:15

Ben Vorster v Eldoraigne – 10:30

Pretoria Boys’ High v Selborne – 11:45

Jeppe v Queen’s College – 13:00

Bishops v Dale College – 14:15

KES v Paarl Boys’ High – 15:30

ST JOHN’S COLLEGE

Voortrekker v Golden Lions XV – 08:20

St Benedict’s v Falcon College – 09:30

Graeme v St David’s – 10:40

Noordheuwel v Kingswood – 11:50

St John’s v Nelspruit – 14:10

Maritzburg College v SACS – 15:20

Boland Landbou v Hilton – 16:30

ST STITHIANS

Marais Viljoen v St John’s (Harare) – 08:30

Hartpury 2nd XV v Northcliff – 09:40

St Alban’s v St Charles – 10:50

Secunda v Diamantveld – 12:00

Helpmekaar v Hartpury – 13:10

Michaelhouse v St Andrew’s – 14:20

St Stithians v Clifton – 16:00

MONDAY, 1 APRIL

KEARSNEY COLLEGE

Noord-Kaap v Marlow – 07:30

Rondebosch v Rustenburg – 08:50

Framesby v Worcester Gim – 10:10

Glenwood v Nico Malan – 11:30

Durban HS v Pearson – 13:00

Monument v Westville – 14:20

Kearsney v EG Jansen – 15:40

KES

Ben Vorster v Queen’s College – 08:00

Paarl Boys’ High v Pretoria Boys High – 09:15

Hudson Park v Northwood – 10:30

Eldoraigne v Selborne – 11:45

Dale College v Parktown – 13:00

Brandwag v Jeppe – 14:15

KES v Bishops – 15:30

ST JOHN’S COLLEGE

Graeme v St Benedict’s – 08:30

Maritzburg College v Golden Lions XV – 09:40

Boland Landbou v Hans Moore – 10:50

Kingswood v St David’s – 12:00

St John’s v Falcon College – 14:00

Hilton v Nelspruit – 15:10

Noordheuwel v Voortrekker – 16:20

In 2022, the Blitzboks added a second Commonwealth Gold medal to their collection after also winning the tournament in 2014.

For the better part of a decade, the Springbok Sevens side was coached by Neil Powell, who became like a father figure to many players, despite also often having a firm touch when it came to on and off-field performance levels.

Without a doubt, Powell’s departure has left a massive void. That’s really part one of where the problems began.

New chapter for Blitzboks

As a new era began, SA Rugby empowered former sevens star Sandile Ngcobo into the role of head coach, with fellow former teammate Philip Snyman also serving in a key senior coaching role.

The word from the ground is that Ngcobo is a prickly character, and at times he has rubbed people up the wrong way. And to borrow a sporting term, it has begun to seem as if he’s ‘lost the changeroom’ in recent times.

After a strong start to this season’s World Rugby Sevens series, the Blitzboks have slumped to one disappointment after another, and currently dwell down in seventh place on the overall standings. South Africa has 48 points, and by comparison, the leading side – Argentina – are runaway leaders on 90.

Time for change

The Blitzboks, who had finished in the top two in 12 of the previous 16 HSBC SVNS seasons, have fallen from grace recently – finishing ninth and 11^th in the last two events in Vancouver and Los Angeles, respectively.

If the team fails to finish in the top eight of the standings, it will be required to play in a promotion and relegation series.

SA Rugby ultimately decided that action had to be taken, and Ngcobo has returned to the role of coach to the next generation of sevens players, while Snyman has taken over as head coach of the Blitzboks until the end of July.

Interestingly, a statement from the governing body suggested the changes were actually proposed by Ngcobo. 

A major concern is the fact that the team has still not qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris later this year.

“We have a talented and experienced group of Sevens players, but they have underperformed since winning the opening event of the world series in Dubai and results have only worsened,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby.

“We have yet to qualify for the Olympics and there is a danger that the team will not automatically retain its core status on the series. We greatly appreciate the honesty of Sandile’s approach and must praise him for placing the team’s needs above his personal ambitions.

“We will continue to invest in his development and believe he has a future in our systems. However, the short-term needs of the team are such that for continuity purposes we have given Philip the task of reviving the team’s fortunes.

“A review of the broader Sevens department’s structure will continue to ensure that it is fit for purpose. The Blitzboks have been a shining light for rugby for many seasons and we wish to see them on fire once again.”

The team is next in action at the Hong Kong Sevens on 5-7 April.

Head coach Sandile Ngcobo has returned to the role of coach to the next generation of sevens players, while Philip Snyman (assistant coach) has taken over as head coach of the Blitzboks until the end of July. The changes were made at the suggestion of Ngcobo. The players were advised on Wednesday.

The Blitzboks, who had finished in the top two in 12 of the previous 16 sevens seasons, are currently seventh on the standings after finishing ninth and 11^th in the last two events in Vancouver and Los Angeles, respectively.

If the team fails to finish in the top eight of the standings, it will be required to play in a promotion and relegation series.

Ngcobo was promoted from Sevens Academy coach to take over from Neil Powell in September 2022, with Snyman, a former Blitzbok captain, appointed as assistant coach.

Snyman will now hold the head coach role until the end of July and the completion of the Olympic Games in Paris – for which the team has yet to qualify.

SA RUGBY’S DAMNING BLITZBOKS REVIEW

“We have a talented and experienced group of Sevens players, but the Blitzboks have underperformed since winning the opening event of the world series in Dubai and results have only worsened,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby.

“We have yet to qualify for the Olympics and there is a danger that the team will not automatically retain its core status on the series. We greatly appreciate the honesty of Sandile’s approach and must praise him for placing the team’s needs above his personal ambitions.

“We will continue to invest in his development and believe he has a future in our systems. However, the short-term needs of this Blitzboks team are such that for continuity purposes we have given Philip the task of reviving the team’s fortunes.

“A review of the broader Sevens department’s structure will continue to ensure that it is fit for purpose. The Blitzboks have been a shining light for rugby for many seasons and we wish to see them on fire once again.”

The Blitzboks team is next in action at the Hong Kong Sevens on 5-7 April.

The demoralising 11th place in Los Angeles was their worst finish so far in the 2024 season, with the lack of consistency in their performances proving to be a huge disappointment for a Blitzboks team that has generally been title contenders.

Blitzboks in a world of trouble

Coach Sandile Ngcobo is the first to admit that they are not doing their country proud at the moment.

“It is really frustrating that we can put some excellent performances together, beating anyone, and then lose the next couple of matches – we certainly are a better team than these results reflect,” Ngcobo said after the Blitzboks concluded their North American leg with a 28-15 win over Canada at Dignity Health Sports Park.

“Two things are standing out for me at this stage, the lack of discipline around the tackle area and the basics not being done well when we need to finish off our opportunities.”

Ngcobo added that a lack of depth in the squad also impacts their performances: “Having a squad with good depth results in internal competition and guys really fighting hard to get and stay in the team. Our management will have to sit down and see how we can rectify that aspect of our set-up.”

According to the Blitzbok coach, the inconsistency in performance was the most frustrating part of the Los Angeles week.

“We played so well in one half and then fall away in the other,” said Ngcobo.

“That was really frustrating as we gave teams breathing space when we were in control. We are not doing our badge or the country proud at the moment, that is a sad reality.”

With tournaments in Hong Kong and Singapore left, the Sprinbok Sevens find themselves in seventh place on the log. The top eight sides in the series will retain core status.

HSBC SVNS standings (with points):

1. Argentina (90)
2. Ireland (70)
3. Fiji (64)
4. France (56)
5. Australia (55)
6. New Zealand (53)
7. South Africa (48)
8. USA (36)