The Springbok Sevens team will start their third consecutive charge at Olympic gold with a clear endorsement from their coach, Philip Snyman.

The Blitzboks face Ireland and New Zealand on the opening day of the competition at Stade de France on Wednesday and Snyman – a bronze medalist from the 2016 Games 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.”

Winning medals at the biggest sporting event in the world has a different prestige, but Snyman said that did not change their mindset and they they are not approaching the tournament differently because it is the Olympics.

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

They also know what to expect from Ireland and New Zealand, according to the Blitzbok coach: “Both of them 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.”

Snyman is confident about the attacking ability of his side and feels that they could be more rugby fit than the other teams, since they played in a competitive tournament recently.

“We are the only team to play in the repechage in Monaco and had no break at the end of the world series in Madrid (at the beginning of June), so we are rugby fit and will be ready to go. That could just give us an edge on the other sides, who have not played tournament sevens as recently as we did,” added Snyman.

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

Wednesday 24 July:

17h30: Ireland

21h30: New Zealand

Thursday 25 July

16h00: Japan

Blitzbok squad for the 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

They did it the hard way, but the Springbok Sevens finally booked their ticket to the Paris Olympics Games for a third consecutive time since Rugby Sevens was introduced in 2016, when they defeated Great Britain in the final of the World Rugby Sevens Repechage event in Monaco on Sunday evening.

It was a great reward for the Springbok Sevens system, that they will once more go the Olympic Games, but the real relief was that the Blitzboks’ swagger and belief is back.

In fact, according to 2016 bronze medalist and interim Springbok Sevens coach, Philip Snyman, the succesfull entry to the Paris Olympics, gained by winning the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco on Sunday evening, has installed a belief that they have turned a miserable season around.

“We had some bad months, yes, but the comeback is now complete,” Snyman explains.

“We got ourselves into the mess of having to qualifty via repechage, but credit to the way the players responded. We came here knowing that defence will be the key to success and only conceded three tries in six matches. The guys deserve a lot of credit for that,” Snyman said.

The coach praised all involved with the lead-up to the event and said the players deserve the applause.

“We were down and out, but credit to the guys. They really deserve this and I am very pleased that we will be going to Paris.”

On Sunday, the Blitzboks outplayed Uganda, Canada and Great Britain to claim the final ticket to the Rugby Sevens at the Paris Olympics.

Afterwards team captain, Selvyn Davids, praised his troops and the management for a job well done.

“The guys really wanted this. We came here well prepared, with good confidence and a solid game plan. Credit to all our opponents, especially Great Britain, who really gave us a hard time in that final,” Davids said.

“We knew it would be a tough weekend, but the way we responded to everything our opponents threw at us makes me a very proud Blitzboks captain,” beamed Davids.

Meanwhile, World Rugby also announced the pools for the Rugby Sevens event in Paris.

South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and Japan will contest Pool A, while Argentina, Australia, Samoa and Kenya are in Pool B. Hosts France will face defending champions Fiji, USA and Uruguay in Pool C.

The Springbok Sevens coaching team has been reformatted and a review of the Sevens department’s structure is being undertaken as a response to disappointing results, SA Rugby announced on Wednesday.

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 HSBC SVNS 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.

“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.

Former Springbok wings Rosko Specman and Travis Ismaiel were both named in an experienced and multi-skilled Springbok Sevens squad that will travel to Harare on Thursday for the Rugby Africa Olympic Games qualifiers.

Springbok Sevens head coach Sandile Ngcobo also recalled fit-again Selvyn Davids, Zain Davids and Ronald Brown for the important weekend at the Harare Sports Club, where victory will result in a third consecutive appearance for the Blitzboks at the Olympic Games.

The trio all missed large chunks of last season’s World Series campaign, but are now back in a squad laden with experience, including 2022 Rookie of the Year, Ricardo Duarttee. Donovan Don and Ismaiel are the only players who have not played in at least 10 HSBC SVNS events.

However, regular Blitzbok captain Siviwe Soyizwapi has been ruled out with an injury. while like Mfundo Ndhlovu and Shaun Williams are also still recovering from pre-season operations.

As a result, Impi Visser will wear the captain’s armband in Harare, with Zain Davids named as his deputy.

“We have a very experienced group, which helped in our preparations,” said Ngcobo.

“This is a massive tournament for us, and it was great to have such a strong leadership group available for selection considering the injury to ‘Shakes’ a month ago.

“Impi had captained us in tournament play before and will be able to handle that responsibility without it affecting his normal game.”

Ngcobo said Specman’s return came at the right time: “He will basically replace ‘Shakes’ in the squad and will mainly play on the wing for us in this tournament. We all know what he brings to a team.

“The return of playmakers such as Selvyn (Davids), Justin (Geduld) and Ronald (Brown) does give us nice options, but this will have to be a team effort.

“Our forwards are crucial to allow the playmakers the opportunity to express themselves. Nothing has changed from our ‘team first’ attitude and philosophy,” Ngcobo added.

South Africa’s pool fixtures (Saturday, 16 September):

10h50: Cote D'Ivoire

13h34: Tunisia

16h18: Madagascar

Blitzbok squad (with World Series stats):

Christie Grobbelaar – 18 tournaments, 150 points (30 tries)

Ryan Oosthuizen – 43 tournaments, 200 points (40 tries)

Impi Visser (captain) – 32 tournaments, 150 points (30 tries)

Zain Davids – 40 tournaments, 188 points (37 tries)

Travis Ismaiel – 5 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)

Ricardo Duarttee – 10 tournaments, 212 points (15 tries, 67 conversions, 1 penalty goal)

Ronald Brown – 13 tournaments, 338 points (34 tries, 84 conversions)

Selvyn Davids – 29 tournaments, 586 points (73 tries, 109 conversions, 1 penalty goal)

Justin Geduld – 54 tournaments, 1077 points (116 tries, 247 conversions, 1 penalty goal)

Donavan Don – 4 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)

Rosko Specman – 30 tournaments, 416 points (76 tries, 18 conversions)  

Shilton van Wyk – 13 tournaments, 135 points (27 tries)

Two things that immediately struck Rosko Specman as he drove into the Springbok Sevens team’s base at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport on Wednesday morning, were ‘hard work’ and ‘no comfort zones’.

“In fact,” said the 34-year-old dual international speedster, “it felt great when I arrived this morning knowing that I will be working very hard with this squad with no guarantees. All those years ago when I arrived here for the first time, I was nervous about not making the team, but in the end I did.

“This time around, I feel the same pressure, as there will be no guarantees for me getting into the squad again. But, like last time, if I work hard and apply my talent, I will be in contention again.”.

The talisman wing and sweeper – a two-time HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series winner with the Blitzboks and a bronze medallist at the 2016 Olympic Games – played the last of his 30 tournaments for South Africa in December 2020 before moving to fifteens, where he played for the Vodacom Bulls, Toyota Cheetahs and Windhoek Draught Griquas, as well as in one Test match for the Springboks, against Georgia in 2021.

“That was the right move at the time and I am grateful for everything that came my way in fifteens,” he said.

“The foundations I got from sevens made that transition easy, to be honest, as there are certain values in this system that stays with you when you go to fifteens. Just have a look at how well the sevens guys are doing in the Bok set-up, they had a solid foundation.”

While it wasn’t ‘back to square one’ when he stepped into SAS on Wednesday, but rather another opportunity to contribute in a different way to a team and system he admires immensely, Specman said.

“In my first stint, there were so many legends of the game still in the squad, so I wondered how I would ever break into the team,” he said.

“This time, I am nervous again, as there are so many youngsters pushing for a place and so will I. There are so many good things still in place here, a good coaching staff, good senior players and if we get the system functioning again, everyone will be better for it.

“There is no doubt that we can become number one in the world again. If we stick to our fundamentals and principles and trust the system, we will be back.”

Specman is reluctant to speculate on the Blitzboks’ finish in last season’s World Series, which means they will have to play in the Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Harare next month, but he believes simple advice can solve the problem.

“It is never about you, always about the team. Players can express themselves, but you must stay within the gameplan. There is space to express yourself, but you need to do your job first,” said Specman, who gained the nickname of ‘Specmagic’ from fans worldwide.

“’Specmagic’ is back yes, but that is not only me stepping and scoring tries. It is also me bringing energy to the team, making sure we have fun as well as working very hard and holding ourselves accountable.

“I hope to contribute that way. If this proves to be my last season of rugby, I want it to be one I will remember for the rest of my life.”

A group of 28 Under-18 players will assemble at Grey College in Bloemfontein this weekend for a three-day Commonwealth Youth Games training camp under the watchful eye of Marius Schoeman, SA Rugby's High-Performance Manager for Sevens.

The Youth Games will take place in Trinidad and Tobago in August. The training camp was due to be held in Stellenbosch, but it has been moved to Bloemfontein due to the inclement weather conditions.

Schoeman said he is keen to start working with the group.

“We last participated in the tournament in 2015, when it was held in Samoa, and we won the gold medal,” said Schoeman.

“That team feature four players who would go on to play for the Springboks in Damian Willemse, Curwin Bosch, Embrose Papier and Manie Libbok, as well as future Blitzboks such as Stedman Gans, JC Pretorius, Mfundo Ndhlovu and Heino Bezuidenhout.

“It is exciting to have this group together, as we’ll be able to get a first-hand look at what capabilities we have in this squad. The interaction with these players is important with the future in mind.”

SA U18 Sevens training squad:Luann Olivier (Blue Bulls), Luan Giliomee, Bernardo Diedericks (both Boland), Jeandre Jacobs, Nathan Mathee (both Valke), Martin Botha, Marno Stopforth, Alzeadon Felix (all Free State), Fano Linde, Ethan Jones (both Griffons), Valentino Lenge, Dwayne Lubbe (both Griquas), Lavela Pongolo (EP), Ceono Everson, Jody Schambreel (both Lions), Siyanda Nkosi, Siyabonga Ndlozi, Mnelisi Gamede, Singce Simka, Hopewell Ntshangase (all Sharks), Jeffwin Wesso (SWD), Albie Bester, James Nero, Gino Cupido, Dewald de Villiers, Samuel Badenhorst, Enzo Labuschagne, Freek de Kock (all WP).

The Springbok Sevens produced a much-improved display in Hong Kong this weekend despite losing three key games by less than one score, and as a result of their sixth place, they climbed two spots on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings – from seventh to fifth – with three tournaments to go in the season.

The four leading teams at the end of the season will gain automatic qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 and, after a below-par performance on the North American leg of the World Series a month ago, the Blitzboks are now back in the race to the top four on the standings.

Springbok Sevens head coach Sandile Ngcobo, who called up Jaiden Baron to replace the injured Zain Davids (hand fracture) in Singapore this week, was a proud man afterwards as his team improved on defence and in keeping possession on attack.

“I really think we made a massive step up,” said Ngcobo.

“Of course, we are disappointed, as we know we’re a better team (than sixth), but we’ll hold our heads high and go back to zero on Monday so we can prepare accordingly and hit Singapore hard.

“In terms of our efforts this weekend, I’m really pleased. As a group, we are very hard on ourselves, but we planned well, had a good week leading up to the tournament, and we started in a manner that gave us momentum.

“We defended really well and forced teams to make hard decisions against us by eliminating their attacking opportunities. We can even be more selfish in keeping teams out – instead of conceding two tries, we must aim to only concede one, or better still, nothing at all.

“If we can get our tackle completion rate up to 82 to 85 per cent, then we’ll know we're on the right path and I believe we made a massive step up defensively.

“From an attacking point of view, we managed to keep the ball, create opportunities and we scored some beautiful tries.”

Ngcobo also said with a little more luck, especially against New Zealand and Fiji, the Blitzboks’ fortunes may have been different in Hong Kong. In both matches, the South Africans were in with a shout, but just came up short.

“We may have been a bit unlucky with one or two calls going against us in those games, and they ended up playing in the final,” he said.

“Next week, we’re looking to be even more selfish in terms of keeping our ball, and more ruthless and clinical in terms of putting teams away. If we have three opportunities, we have to use those and put teams away.

“We just want to put in a clinical performance, dominate and put our opponents away, and I believe we're on the right path.”

The Blitzbok coach was also full of praise for the three players who made their debuts in the pressure cooker of Hong Kong Stadium, with all three – Donovan Don, Ethan James and Sebastiaan Jobb – also getting on the score sheet during the tournament.

“We’re very proud of them – they came in and made their debuts when we were under pressure but that is what playing for the Springbok Sevens at this level is about,” said Ngcobo.

“They bought into the culture and were like sponges, soaking up all the information. We knew they would make mistakes, like any other youngster, but every single game they kept on eliminating those errors. Sure, some mistakes were a bit more costly, but they need to learn and if they don’t play, they won’t gain that experience.

“That is what the South Africa Sevens ‘A’ squad is all about – developing guys and giving them opportunities, so a massive thank you to Marius Schoeman who head-hunted all these players, who were key to our team in Hong Kong.”

New Zealand, whoedged the Blitzboks on the second day and ended up winning Cathay / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, are in first place in the World Series on 142 points. Argentina, who edged the Blitzboks in a tense fifth-place final on Sunday, are second on 121, followed byFiji, who sneaked through in the Cup quarter-final against South Africa and ultimately lost in the Cup final, on 113.

France, who won the bronze medal in Hong Kong, are fourth on 112 points with the Blitzboks in fifth on 101, followed by Australia in sixth position (99 points), Samoa in seventh (96), andIreland and the USA tied on eighth (91). Great Britain round off the top-10 on 72 points.

As a result of the final standings in Hong Kong, the Blitzboks have been grouped with New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong in a tough Pool A for next weekend’s HSBC Singapore Sevens.

Pool B will consist of Fiji, Spain, Samoa and Canada, Pool C is France, USA, Uruguay and Kenya, and Great Britain, Argentina, Ireland and Japan are in Pool D. The tournament at Singapore’s National Stadium kicks off on Saturday.

The Springbok Sevens team have arrived in Hong Kong and are looking forward to getting back on the field and fixing what went wrong in North America a month ago, but also to see three new players join the Blitzbok family at arguably the most prestigious event on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

Blitzbok captain Siviwe Soyizwapi knows all about making your international sevens debut at the impressive Hong Kong Stadium as it was there for him – seven years ago in 2016 – when he first wore the green and gold in the shortened version of the game.

This weekend Donovan Don, Ethan James and Sebastiaan Jobb will in all likelihood join the Blitzbok brotherhood and Soyizwapi hopes that he and his fellow senior team members can make it a weekend to remember for the uncapped trio.

“I remember my debut in Hong Kong like it was yesterday,” said Soyizwapi.

“To play your first tournament for the Springbok Sevens at such a prestigious event will always be a dear memory for me, and this weekend three more players will get the opportunity to make their debuts at such a great stadium and an awesome event.

“My message to them would be to embrace the moment of running out there in front of a packed stadium, to take in every moment and to relish the importance as it all goes by so quickly.

“They are great rugby players and were born to do this, and I think they are going to do very well. They just have to go out there, express themselves and do what they do best.”

All three uncapped players have represented South Africa before. All three have played for the Junior Springboks in the last four years (Jobb in 2019, James in 2021 and 2022, and Don in 2022), while Jobb was also part of the SA Sevens ‘A’ squad a few years ago.

And although they have capped a bunch of new players in the last few months due to injuries and players moving on the 15s, Soyizwapi believes the Blitzboks’ systems are still in place.

“We won’t be doing anything new this week, even if we have some new personnel – we don't require anything different,” said the Blitzbok captain.

“The three of them are talented rugby players and they know how to play. For us as seniors, it’s just a matter of guiding them on the field in sticking to the game plan, but we also want them to express themselves to the best of their abilities.”

Soyizwapi realises the Blitzboks are facing a big challenge in the remainder of the season if they are to reach their goal of a top-four finish on the World Series, which will mean automatic qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

South Africa are currently seventh on the standings on 89 points (level with Samoa) and just five shy of joint-fourth placed Fiji and Australia on 94, with New Zealand leading the charge on 120.

The Blitzboks’ first match is on Friday morning (09h04 SA time) against Ireland, who are eighth overall on 83 points, and on Saturday they face New Zealand (05h04) and Kenya (09h25) in their other pool games.

“I don’t think we’re necessarily under any pressure – this weekend we’re ranked fourth in our pool and we will be up against the top team, but we will treat every game like we always have,” said Soyizwapi.

“We need to ensure we’re mentally ready for every game, and looking at how the season has unfolded so far, every game is now like a final. Hong Kong is one of the biggest stops on the World Series and it’s always amazing to represent South Africa on one of the big stages in sevens rugby.

“We know it’s not going to be easy, and we’ve never won there. Our focus has been personal growth in terms of mental strength and resilience and the group have really worked hard on those elements. If we achieve what we set out to do, we should get that bounce back that we’re looking for.

“We understand there has been a lot of moving parts dating back to after the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town last year. Sure, it hasn’t been smooth sailing, but we’re a work in progress. It’s important to embrace the process, to keep working hard and to ensure we get to the level we know we can be at.”

The Springbok Sevens squad remained amongst the top four contenders of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series at the halfway stage of the competition, but failed to fire on the second day of the HSBC LA Sevens at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday.

New Zealand won their second tournament in the series by claiming the crown in California and look set to finish top of the series (they are on 107 points), with the top four sides automatically qualifying for the Olympic Games in France in 2024.

Argentina, the losing finalists, moved into second place level on 86 points with South Africa, while Fiji, the current Olympic champions, moved into fourth place on 84 points after finishing third in the USA.

The Blitzboks lost both their fixtures, to Fiji (28-7) in the quarter-finals and Samoa (45-5) in the fifth-place semi-final, in a performance described by Springbok Sevens coach Sandile Ngcobo as unacceptable and completely devoid of effort.

To add to their woes, the Blitzboks suffered yet another spate of injuries during the tournament, limping off the Los Angeles pitch with only nine players fit to play.

Ngcobo did not mince his words about the performances on Sunday: “It was almost heart breaking for me to watch from the side-lines as there was no effort at all from the players, and that hurts as the badge that we play for does not deserve that, neither do our supporters or our country.

“It seemed that complacency crept in and that the guys were just going through the motions expecting things to happen, instead of going there and making it happen.

“A performance like this is disrespectful to our badge and to our country and we will have to have an extremely hard look at ourselves,” added Ngcobo, who said he will also do some introspection.

“I will have to ask myself why and how we delivered such a poor performance and how can we fix that,” he said. “Yes, we did play in the final in the previous tournament in Sydney, but that counted for nothing, we had to start at zero again, but we never did.”

Ngcobo said there was no fight in his squad and that was most disappointing, especially against Samoa.

“In that last game against Samoa, they kept giving us possession (from restarts) and we kept giving it away and missing tackles,” said Ngcobo.

“That was just a lack of effort and disrespect. The game for me is 20 percent physical and 80 percent mental and we just did not pitch mentally. The system deserves better, and we will have to regroup with Vancouver (HSBC Canada Sevens) only five days away.”

On Sunday, the Blitzboks failed to get out of the starting blocks against both of their Pacific opponents.

In the quarter-finals, they allowed Fiji to jump into a 14-0 lead and with their attacking options all but eliminated due to a lack of possession, they could not put any scoreboard pressure on the Fijians.

Fiji scored two more in the second half, again with no reply from the Blitzboks, who could not get their hands on the ball to launch significant attacks and scoring opportunities. A late try by Ricardo Duarttee eased some pain, but the damage was done.

The match against Samoa proved an even bigger disappointment, as the men in blue completely dominated the match, scoring four tries in the first half and then three more in the second.

The match was an arm wrestle in the opening stanza. Samoa scored after five minutes and then twice in a minute, both from poor restart plays by the Blitzboks. To add to their misery, they threw an intercept pass early in the second half to concede a fifth try in eight minutes of play. There were two more to follow as the South African effort imploded.

There was scant reward at the end of play, with Travis Ismaiel scoring his first try in a Blitzbok jersey, but that achievement was overshadowed by a very disappointing effort in the previous 13 minutes of play.

Scoring summary – day two:

South Africa 7 (0), Fiji 28 (14)

South Africa – Try: Ricardo Duarttee. Conversion: Duarttee.

Fiji – Tries: Iowane Teba (2), Jerry Tuwai, Josua Vakurinabili. Conversions: Waisea Nacuqu (4).

South Africa 5 (0), Samoa 45 (26)

South Africa – Try: Travis Ismaiel

Samoa – Tries: Taunuu Niulevaea, Paul Eti Slater, Owen Niue (2), Melani Matavao (2), Faafoi Falaniko.

HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings after six tournaments:

1. New Zealand 107

2. Argentina 86

3. South Africa 86

4. Fiji 84

5. Samoa 81

6. Australia 77

7. France 76

8. USA 69

9. Ireland 68

10. Great Britain 47