From sweat to silverware: The Stellenbosch secret behind Blitzboks' Hong Kong triumph

The back story of the triumphant Blitzboks’ first victory in Hong Kong was written daily in sweat at the team’s training base in Stellenbosch, the place they will return to as they start their next mission: the SVNS World Championship in Valladolid, Spain, next month.

The South Africans arrive in Cape Town from Hong Kong on Wednesday at 2pm. And, according to Blitzbok sweeper Ronald Brown, once they have rested from their trip to the Far East, they will get back to work for the next chapter of their 2026 season.

Speaking after their 35-7 win over Argentina in the final of the SVNS Hong Kong, Brown insisted that the victory — South Africa’s first at the “home of sevens” since their debut trip for the 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens, where they were beaten in the final by Fiji — will not create a false sense of security, but will rather inspire them to work even harder.

“The win that eluded so many Blitzbok sides was massive, and we are all so relieved that the bogey is no more,” said Brown.

“More important than that win, though, was the way we achieved it. We again realised that if we play the way our coaches have prepared us, we are a hard team to beat. And if we execute, we will have success.

“It was also a mental win for us. We started poorly on day one, but once we applied our minds, success followed. That was another reminder that we need to be ready, not only physically, but mentally as well.”

The Blitzboks will return to the training field next week to start preparing for the Spain leg, to be played from 29-31 May, where they will face Australia, Kenya and Great Britain in Pool A.

Argentina, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Germany will play in Pool B, while Spain, Fiji, France, and the USA will play in Pool C.