The Blitzboks fell short at last weekend’s Dubai 7s, suffering a surprising loss to Kenya, followed by defeats against New Zealand in the quarter-finals and France in the 5th-6th place playoff. Their performance, both with and without the ball, left much to be desired, as they relinquished their Dubai title following five straight wins.

The coach and former captain Philip Snyman recognised the pressing need for defensive improvement if they are to be serious contenders during the 2024/25 SVNS World Series. “If we want to be consistent and competitive this season, we need to ensure better one-on-one tackling,” said Snyman.

“Our defence is not up to standard. While we’re working hard on our system and individual efforts, we’re still falling off tackles and resorting to jersey grabs. That’s simply not good enough.

“We’re giving away possession too easily, and our tackling needs significant improvement. That said, there are positives to take from our performance. At times, we play fantastic rugby, but then we make mistakes and lose possession, allowing teams to punish us.”

Snyman underlined the importance of belief and consistency in their approach going forward, as while not being able to defend their title was disappointing, there were positive aspects as well.

Philip Snyman. Photo: X

“We’re not making excuses. We need to fix these issues and start believing in our ability to beat any team. When we have possession and defend effectively, we’ve proven we can compete at the highest level. For example, in our opening match against Australia, we kept them scoreless. If we maintain that defensive intensity and hold onto the ball, we’re one of the most dangerous teams on the circuit.”

The Blitzboks are placed in Pool C for the Cape Town 7s, where they will be up against Argentina as well as Ireland. The format in the Mother City is different as the winner of each Pool will go straight to the final and this makes each game even more important.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg