Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman has cautioned his players about thinking that “the season is made” after the heroics of Cape Town, as the draw for the Australian leg of the World Sevens Series was announced yesterday.
South Africa were drawn with current series champions Argentina, hosts Australia and a resurgent USA side for the HSBC SVNS Perth event, to be played at HBF Park from January 24-26.
Olympic champions France are in Pool B alongside Spain, Great Britain and Ireland in an all-European affair, while Fiji and New Zealand will do battle in Pool C, along with newly promoted Kenya and Uruguay.
The South Africans beat Olympic gold medallists France 26-14 in a pulsating Cape Town Sevens final in December, ending a nine-year drought on home soil.
But Snyman has urged his players to “put Cape Town behind us, and start shifting our focus and to get back onto the horse”.
Some beach bodies starting the @SVNSSeries prep with no beach in sight.....#PoweredByUnity pic.twitter.com/QphNMENGyl
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) January 3, 2025
“There’s no time to still think about Cape Town, still think about holidays,” he said.
“We need to shift our focus to pay Argentina in the pool, Australia in Australia and also America – very tough and physical pool – but that’s why we play this game.
“We want to be consistent. And that’s the one thing... Cape Town was just the start, and we can’t think the season is made, and we need to put it behind us.
“The whole season is in front of us, and we need to be more consistent this season. And that will be our goal for the next one – to be consistent, to do it twice in a row and to go on.”
They coach said they had returned to camp on January 2 “with a clear understanding that we are building again”, but some niggles are affecting the preparations of players such as Tristan Leyds, who was a stand-out in Cape Town.
The Blitzboks are BACK! 🇿🇦🔥#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSCPT | @Blitzboks pic.twitter.com/n7GMXWHmuE
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) December 10, 2024
“It was nice to have the likes of Ryan Oosthuizen, Selvyn Davids and Ronald Brown back at training, though, after they all missed Cape Town due to injury, as they are all experienced players and will widen my options for selecting a side to Perth,” Snyman said.
“The fact that we know what is waiting on that side will also help.”
The Blitzboks mentor said that playing in front of a home crowd remains a special feeling, and that the Aussies will have that advantage in Perth, while the Blitzboks edged Argentina in their previous encounter in Cape Town.
“The USA remains a really tough team wherever you play them, so the pool is certainly a tough one,” he said.
The Blitzboks are now fourth in the World Series standings on 34 points, with Dubai Sevens winners Fiji topping the log on 36.
Competition has been fierce in the opening two rounds, with a mere eight points separating first and fifth.
The Blitzboks will depart for Perth on January 19.
Perth Sevens Draw
Pool A: South Africa, Argentina, Australia, USA
Pool B: France, Spain, Great Britain, Ireland
Pool C: Fiji, New Zealand, Kenya, Uruguay