It is a new week and a new opportunity for the Springbok Sevens this weekend in the fifth tournament of the 2024 season and for Blitzbok head coach Sandile Ngcobo, the HSBC SVNS Los Angeles cannot come soon enough.
James Murphy has linked up with the Springbok Sevens squad in the USA as they prepare for the HSBC SVNS Los Angeles, to be played at Dignity Health Sports Park from Friday to Sunday.
The Springbok Sevens’ ninth place finish in Canada, at the fourth HSBC SVNS tournament of the season, was described as frustrating by the teams head coach Sandile Ngcobo, with the lack of consistency at the top the agenda this week as they prepare for their next assignment in Los Angeles.
Zain Davids has travelled to Canada six times and returned with three gold medals, but that has not stopped the Blitzbok forward’s winning appetite, who arrived in Vancouver for a seventh HSBC SVNS Canada tournament.
The first time Rosko Specman played at the HSBC SVNS Canada in Vancouver, his teammates included Bryan Habana and Ryan Kankowski, and the Springbok Sevens lost to New Zealand in the final.
It took them just over 30 hours to get from Cape Town to Vancouver, but for the Springbok Sevens it is all part of the job and uncomfortable travel will not deter their ambition to deliver a winning performance in Canada this weekend.
Springbok Sevens head coach Sandile Ngcobo made five changes to his travelling squad for the next two HSBC SVNS tournaments, in Vancouver next weekend and Los Angeles a week later.
The Springbok Sevens finished their HSBC SVNS Perth campaign on a high note by outplaying France 24-5 to finish the tournament in fifth place.
Travelling the world and exploring new destinations with smiles on faces are elements one can attribute to the Springbok Sevens team over many seasons of HSBC SVNS, but as they settled into Perth for yet another new stop in the world series, the real purpose for their trip to West Australia was quickly confirmed by Blitzbok captain Selvyn Davids.
The Blitzboks are well known for playing with smiles on their faces, so don't be surprised to see even more of that in Perth this weekend, when two uncapped players and three returnees to the squad will all bring energy to the squad determined to bounce back from a disappointing outing in Cape Town last month.