Africa-Press – South-Africa. While the Blitzboks can boast five tournament victories on American soil over the years, they will have their work cut out for them in Los Angeles this weekend if they hope to cut New Zealand’s lead at the top of the World Sevens Series log.
Assistant coach Philip Snyman, one of the most successful Blitzboks of all time and who captained the side to consecutive World Series titles, believes a combined effort will be necessary to pull that off.
The Blitzboks, lying second on the World Series standings on 76 points, trail the New Zealanders by nine points.
“We need to understand where we are as a team – we are building, and everybody came into this tour with a different perspective,” Snyman said after the team arrived in Los Angeles for the tournament.
“Some returned from injury, others are still finding their feet in the World Series, and others were given a chance to recover from niggles sustained at the last tournament.
“The pleasing part, though, is that the players coming back from injury are really looking sharp, and those back home who looked after their rehabilitation deserve a special mention. Ronald Brown and Mfundo Ndhlovu are sharp, and Travis Ismaiel’s return is also a feather in the cap for our system, not only for giving him an opportunity with the Blitzboks but also to get him battle ready again.”
It’s been a frustrating season for South Africa that showed much promise to start, but also included several disappointing results. Snyman, however, believes that should they put in the necessary effort, they can meet their objectives over the weekend.
“I am happy to say that we are on the same wavelength in terms of what we want to achieve. Those objectives are semi-finals in every tournament and a top-four finish in the World Series, and everyone is committed to that. If we show the effort needed to achieve that, we will.”
Snyman acknowledged, however, that the Blitzboks might be lacking in overall experience.
“For now, we do not have that luxury, but I am really pleased about the way the guys adapted since arrival, and they are ready to go,” he said.
“I think it is fair to say that they travelled better to the USA than to New Zealand if I look at the energy at training. The fact that there is a new challenge with only a handful who played here before is also bringing out the best in the guys. The venue does not really matter to us, the focus would rather be to eliminate all excuses and to get going with the work on the field.”
He is also hoping for a marked improvement in specific areas, especially the breakdown, where other teams have recently targeted South Africa.
“We want to be more physical at the breakdown – there was a huge improvement from Hamilton to Sydney in that regard, so we are improving, but more work is needed,” said Snyman.
“It is not a matter of structure, the guys are getting into position. It is rather the application – getting the tackle shoulder onto bodies and not just grabbing arms and jerseys. The one-on-one defence will be very important. The stats in this regard were not great in Australia, but we can cut five or six tries per tournament if we execute our tackles better.
“The same with attack – in the last tournament, we scored an average of four per game, but in the last one, the final against New Zealand, we did not get one try, so clearly, we need improvement in that aspect of the game as well.”
The inclusion of Ismaiel can change that, but Snyman warns about unrealistic expectations from the former Springbok wing.
“He has a good rugby brain, so he learns quickly and has been doing so,” he said.
“He has good aerial skills and can contest at kick-offs. While on the wing, he runs hard and has a big body, so he is not easy to stop.
“We are keen to see how he goes, but we will not overload him in the first week. It was emotional for him today when we gave him his official training jersey, and I expect a good tournament. He has class, and if he stays connected on attack and defence, he will enjoy himself.”
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