There will be good news for the Springbok Sevens squad when they assemble at their base in Stellenbosch on Wednesday for their final camp in the build-up to the Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe next month, but also some bad news for team and country.
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander congratulated Springbok Sevens playmaker Ricardo Duarttee, who was named as the Rookie of the Year at the annual HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series awards in London on Sunday evening.
The Springbok Sevens team shrugged off the disappointment of not making the quarter-finals at the HSBC London Sevens with two big wins on Sunday to claim ninth spot at Twickenham as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series drew to a close.
Their quest for automatic qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games may be out of their hands, but the Springbok Sevens team will leave no stone unturned at the HSBC London Sevens this weekend as they give it one final push to book their tickets to Paris next year.
The Springbok Sevens team put in a huge effort at the HSBC France Sevens this weekend, but sadly the results did not show that, so from the perspective of Blitzbok head coach Sandile Ngcobo, it was not all doom and gloom.
The gold medal for Rugby Sevens at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris cannot be won in Toulouse in 2023, but don't tell the Springbok Sevens team that. In fact, according to Blitzbok coach Sandile Ngcobo, their approach is to use this weekend’s HSBC France Sevens at Stade Ernst-Wallon as an Olympic trial.
There is no doubt that a core of experienced Blitzboks available for the final two legs of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series has boosted the confidence of the squad, players and management alike.
The Springbok Sevens conceded valuable ground to their opponents in the race to automatic qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games with their joint-12th placed-finish at the HSBC Singapore Sevens on Sunday, but more disappointing was the fact that they could not sustain the good effort from Hong Kong last weekend.
Blitzboks coach Sandile Ngcobo has plenty to ponder as they head into Singapore for yet another weekend of unpredictability.
His early days as a Blitzbok were a breeze for Shaun Williams. In fact, the former Garsfontein High School learner and University of Johannesburg graduate would have been excused if he thought playing on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series was easy pickings while representing the Springbok Sevens in Vancouver, Edmonton, Dubai (twice) and Seville.