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Blitzboks desperate to bounce back in Hong Kong
Sandile Ngcobo's men were hugely disappointing in North America and will be keen to get back to winning ways in Hong Kong.
South Africa’s Bllitzboks will be out to make a big improvement in London. Picture: Miguel Candela/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
It’s been a tough few weeks for the Blitzboks, after crashing badly in Los Angeles and Vancouver in the World Rugby Sevens Series which saw them slip down the points table, and next up is the Hong Kong tournament, this weekend.
The SA Sevens team managed to pick up only 10 and 3 points respectively in the two tournaments in North America, leaving coach Sandile Ngcobo’s team down in seventh place in the standings.
And the Blitzboks are running out of tournaments to make up ground — after this week’s Hong Kong event, they will only have Singapore, Toulouse and London to make an impact.
Three new players
But first and foremost is to get back on track in Hong Kong. But it won’t be easy because the squad are still missing several first choice players who are out with injuries.
Assistant coach Philip Snyman confirmed this week that three more new players will be in action in Hong Kong, namely Donovan Don, Ethan James and Sebastiaan Jobb.
“They are intelligent (players) with X-factor and they are learning fast, but we have to help them get used to our system as soon as possible,” said Snyman.
He added the team would have to play smart rugby in Hong Kong to make an impact. The good news is the Blitzboks have welcomed back a few experienced campaigners.
“We have Shaun Williams, Travis Ismaiel and Tiaan Pretorius back from injury and I feel there is a lot of energy in the team. Yes, we’ve lost nine players to injury – six of them playmakers – but these are the cards we’ve been dealt, and the new guys are learning a lot, bringing a positive attitude to the camp.
“We know how dangerous we can be with ball in hand, but that means we can’t afford to turn over possession and we need quick ball from the breakdowns, so we can try and get our speedsters in space.
“Then, we need to make a big step up on defence. We only completed 56% of our tackles in Vancouver and we need to get that up to at least 80%. If we do that, we will concede five or six fewer tries, and hopefully score a few more, which should make a big difference.”
The Blitzboks are in a pool with Ireland, Kenya and New Zealand.
