There were bucketloads of character from the Blitzboks in the final of the Canada Sevens, and while it wasn’t enough to down series leaders Argentina, the South Africans sure ticked a lot of boxes.
Given Argentina’s dominance in Vancouver over the years, the Blitzboks’ result at the fourth leg of the 2024/2025 World SVNS Series is far from disappointing.
The South Americans have now claimed the top podium spot in Vancouver for four years straight - they defeated Fiji 29-10 in the final of the 2022 tournament, they beat France 33-21 in 2023, and outplayed New Zealand 36-12 in the 2024 edition.
Final-hurdle fumble is not a disappointment
It was the Blitzboks’ fighting spirit that was the highlight of the finale at BC Place despite the Argentinians walking away with a 19-12 victory.
Los Pumas held a 12-0 lead at the break after consistently halting the Blitzboks’ momentum. Argentina, who went back-to-back after also reigning supreme in Perth a few weeks ago, were just more clinical overall and put their possession to good use, while the opposition’s penalties conceded at the breakdown also strengthened the defending champions’ cause.
Despite being on the backfoot, the Springboks Sevens side caught up on the scoreboard and looked set to grab a third try, but Argentina showed just why they have been at the pinnacle of this tournament as they curbed the Blitzboks late in the game and ensured that nothing further came from the opportunities they created.
Mission accomplished for Snyman’s Blitzboks
Head coach Philip Snyman has made it clear that their biggest goal for the season was to make the semis in every tournament, and they checked another box in that regard with their runner-up finish in Vancouver.
The only event where they did not achieve a top-four finish this season is Dubai, ironically, as the Blitzboks traditionally dominate that leg of the series.
There are a lot of positives that can be highlighted in the South Africans’ growing game, and the influence of head coach Snyman is one of them.
The Blitzboks are back to being a real presence on the circuit since the former team skipper took control of the group on a permanent basis in September 2024, with their run this season alone including some major achievements. Their stunning victory in Cape Town, an event where they hadn’t tasted success in nine years, is of course right at the top of that list. Then there was also their Olympic qualification through the back door after missing out on automatic qualification. They ended up taking bronze at the Paris event.
Now, in fourth position with three tournaments remaining, the Blitzboks are in a good position to go all the way. After all, their consistency has grown, and that’s one of their goals Snyman has continued to emphasise.
In an exclusive interview with TelecomAsia Sport ahead of the event, Snyman said:
It would have been nice to win in both Dubai and Cape Town. There were a lot of good things in Dubai, but in that quarter-final, when it mattered, we just couldn’t clinch it to go through to the semi-finals.
The way we stood up in Cape Town was a massive highlight for us. I think the guys took a lot of confidence from that. In Perth, one different call or one instance where the bounce of the ball was different, and we would have been in the final. So, I definitely think we are on an upward curve to being consistent, and that’s our goal.
We want to at least make the semi-finals in every tournament we play, that gives us the opportunity to podium. I think we are in a good space, and the confidence in the team is healthy.
We are going into every game with the goal of being more consistent and being our best, and I think that was the difference in the past – every time the Blitzboks were successful in terms of winning events, we had been successful in the semi-finals.
So, that’s one of our biggest goals, not just for this tournament, but for the year as a whole.
How things stand
With three tournaments left in Hong Kong (28-30 March), Singapore (5-6 April), and the grand finale in Los Angeles (3-4 May), Argentina (68 points), Spain (64 points), South Africa and Fiji (both on 62 points) have moved well ahead of the other competing teams. France and Australia (both on 46 points) and New Zealand (38 points) trail the pack leaders by a significant margin.
