The Blitzboks kicked off their latest Cape Town Sevens campaign in style after winning all three of their encounters on Saturday to top Pool A to ignite hope that they could claim a rare title in front of their home fans.
The Springboks Sevens side had to work hard for a 24-21 victory over Fiji before they overcame New Zealand 19-14 before finishing their pool campaign in style against Great Britain by clinching a 41-7 win.
It’s now set up a highly-anticipated semi-final against France, which will kick off at 12:22 on Sunday.
Blitzboks hope to perform in front of vibrant Cape Town crowd
South Africa will hope to demonstrate the same fighting spirit that saw them keep their title defence alive in front of a day one crowd of 36,183 fans.
Springbok Sevens coach Philip Snyman said the determination shown against Fiji and New Zealand, where they came from behind in both matches to secure the wins, was down to the character of the side.
“We came back in the second half of both matches and that was rewarding for us as a coaching staff to see,” said Snyman.
“Look, we were far from perfect and will have to be better tomorrow, especially in the execution of our plays, but the guys really dug deep. That minute before the halftime break against New Zealand, when we kept them out despite being a man down, was a crucial moment in our day.”
Snyman said their composure against Great Britain finished the day on a high: “We controlled the game nicely and left very little out there for them. That was a good finish to the day.”
Big challenge to come
Looking ahead at the match against France, a team they beat against in Dubai last weekend, Snyman said it will be a new day and a new game.
“That was then, this is now,” he said.
“We will have to come out tomorrow, be clinical and even better than today. We will have a look at them later in the evening, to see what we can expect from them tomorrow. What I do know is that we will be able to draw massive energy from the crowd on Sunday, they really are like an extra player for us.”
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