Philip Snyman hails grit and composure after Blitzboks’ Perth triumph

Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman praised his team’s resilience and composure after the Blitzboks produced a thrilling upset over Fiji on Sunday to claim the Perth SVNS title in spectacular fashion.

After a string of losses to the well-oiled Fijian machine this season — including a defeat in the group stages of the Australian tournament — the South Africans rediscovered their attacking mojo and showed immense grit on defence to secure a nail-biting 21-19 victory.

Player of the Final Ryan Oosthuizen scored two tries, while speedster Sebastiaan Jobb also cut through the defence for a well-worked effort. The match-winning score by Oosthuizen came in the corner after he bulldozed through several defenders, with playmaker Ricardo Duarttee staying ice cool to slot the conversion from the touchline.

Strong defence for over two minutes kept the lead intact and, with a couple of penalties in the closing seconds, the Blitzboks sealed a famous victory — their first on Australian soil since 2017. According to Snyman, the final win was built on composure, gritty defence and good discipline shown by the team.

“It was massive for us to finish the tour like this,” Snyman said.

“Someone told me that it is the first time in nine years that we win hear and that is incredibly special for us, especially with the new generation coming through. Winning is a habit and if we can foster good habits and a winning culture, this team can achieve great things.

“I am really happy with the performance.”

The Springbok Sevens have set themselves a target of reaching every semi-final this season and, in the last three tournaments, things have gone according to plan. Now, the focus shifts to delivering consistent performances in the remaining rounds.

They reclaimed second place on the log with 66 points and sit four behind Fiji (70) and four ahead of New Zealand (62) in third. The next tournament will be hosted in Vancouver in March, with the Blitzboks as firm favourites following successful spells in Canada.

South Africa will face the All Blacks Sevens, Spain and Great Britain at BC Place Stadium for a spot in the semis.

“The benchmark for us is (reaching) semi-finals. We won two tournaments and made one semi-final since Cape Town, so we are on track with that. But the hard work must continue to ensure we stay competitive.

“We delivered a good performance in Perth, but I believe we can be even more clinical on defence. However, we showed that if you can keep possession, you can control the game.

"We worked on our defence and securing those turnovers when we had them under pressure. Then, to use that turnover ball and improve our strike rate in the 22m area of opponents. The guys gave themselves a fighting chance up until the last minute and it was a good weekend for us.”