VIDEO: BlitzBoks to mend relationship with SA Rugby and boost Currie Cup
After winning the World Sevens Championship in Los Angeles, BlitzBoks head coach Philip Snyman has formulated plans to make Sevens a force in the South African rugby landscape again.
In the wake of an incredible victory in LA, the BlitzBoks knew little of the strenuous flight that awaited them on their way home.
The South Africa Sevens team’s flight from Washington, D.C to Cape Town was delayed by two hours due to bad weather.
The World Champions had to sit on the tarmac, and they only landed in Cape Town at 17.28 local time (15.28 GMT).
On arrival, a very tired Green-and-Gold army came out of the gates. However, at the sight of their fans and family, the mood quickly changed, and it was all smiles and celebrations as Cape Town welcomed them home.
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The BlitzBoks were crowned Sevens World Champions with a 19-5 win over Spain in the Final of the Los Angeles SVNS.
It has been a very topsy-turvy season for the South Africans, who placed ninth in the last tournament of the World Series in Singapore.
Nonetheless, they produced a strong performance in the season-ending tournament with victories over France, Great Britain, and Argentina on Day One, and then outplayed New Zealand and Spain on Day Two.
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“After our up-and-down season and the inconsistency, yes, there were some great moments like winning the Cape Town SVNS, reaching the Final in Vancouver, and three semifinals overall,” Snyman told reporters at Cape Town Airport.
“But the goal was for us to play in all six semifinals. And then with this Grand Finale, I almost thought it was just another tournament to finish the season – until I quickly came to realise it’s a bit bigger. It’s the World Championship, and for the guys to come out and win puts things in perspective.
“It shows that if we all buy in and focus on the right things, this is what the team can do and how they can play.”
Snyman said it is proof that the players truly learned from their mistakes, and it was not just lip service.
“The guys have shown that we don’t only say we’ve learned valuable lessons after a bad tournament – we actually take it in, implement it, and make things right.
“So for me, this was great after a not-so-good Asian leg, and to win the World Championship. I’m really proud.”
He added: “Everything came together in the last one. In past tournaments, we were either good on attack or in defence, or there were one or two areas we neglected. But this was a complete performance.
“The best performance I’ve seen in a South Africa Sevens jersey in a while.”
Snyman has urged the team to focus on celebrating this win.
However, as the coach, he is eager to build squad depth and rebuild the relationship with SA Rugby.
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“At the beginning of the season, we had two goals. Results will always be part of South African Sevens, and in the end, we got a good result to finish off the season.
“The other goal is to build the next generation and build depth in the squad towards the 2028 Olympic Games. Two or three guys made their debut, and they’re a lot more mature now – that will be our goal.
“The other four or five guys who didn’t get a chance to play in the final tournament – hopefully, we can take them to Mauritius [for the Africa Sevens Cup on June 21-22] with a couple of young guys. We still need to build depth where we fall short. Make sure we have the right squad, combinations, and personalities to take the team to the 2028 Olympics.
“So we’ll use the Africa Cup to test players and to finish off the season before we give them a break.
“Some guys might go and play Currie Cup because we have a long break. It’s great for SA Sevens not to keep everything on an island but to play a bigger part in SA Rugby. Gino Cupido is playing for the Under-20s now, and some will boost the Currie Cup system.
“We need to know where we fit in when it comes to being a bigger part of SA Rugby – to be that development pathway for players.
“We don’t only want to be known as a Seven’s culture; we want to be part of the whole South African union structure.”
He added: “There have been a lot of changes in SA Rugby – a lot of restructuring, and one or two plans.
“But part of my plans is definitely to work closer with unions in terms of the Currie Cup.
“And if we get that right – maybe, here and there, where Western Province or the Bulls or other unions are struggling with players or injuries – if we can start that relationship now and keep building it, it will help us in the future to get more players into our system, even if it’s on a short stint, maybe while some are playing United Rugby Championship.
“The season starts in October and runs to June, and then the Currie Cup starts end of July, so we use those players.
“So part of my success plan going forward is to visit every union to make sure we have a good, solid relationship and to work closely with rugby’s structure.
“The rest is unknown for now, but there are plans we want to put in place to make sure we’re working closer together and getting good players into the system.”
