The Springbok Sevens team climbed to second place on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings after their silver medal performance at the Sydney Sevens – the fifth of 11 tournaments – but Blitzbok coach Sandile Ngcobo said their 38-0 loss to New Zealand in the last game ruined their weekend.
It was a disappointing conclusion to a tournament in which South Africa won five successive games, including a victory against the All Blacks Sevens in group play on Saturday and a victory over Fiji in the semi-finals, but Ngcobo said they expected more from the Sunday final.
The fact that we lost the physical war affected our mentality in the championship game. We were not where we needed to be, and in the final we were simply not good enough to win,” was his candid assessment.
“Yes, we had a rough period with injuries to Siviwe Soyizwapi (day one), Ryan Oosthuizen (day two), Jaiden Baron, and Impi Visser (day three), which may have affected us in the final, but it is no excuse.
“In the final, we did not do ourselves justice. “However, I must give credit to the team, which entered Sunday’s match against Fiji with a fantastic attitude and an outstanding performance.”
Ngcobo stated that the squad’s growth this month demonstrates a positive and growing trend: “If I consider where we were at the beginning of the year, how we improved from last week in Hamilton, and how we performed today, that was monumental, and those are the qualities coaches seek.
“We also had players returning from injury, so seeing them perform well was an added bonus.” From this vantage point, the log position is nearly advantageous. Next month, we will compete in a tournament in Los Angeles, where we will look to progress even more.
The early injuries meant that the 25-year-old Zain Davids, who was competing in his 36th World Series competition, was suddenly the most experienced player amid a swarm of younger players left on the third day.
Davids stated that the injuries incurred throughout the competition were regrettable, but not an excuse.
“We were without players such as Selvyn (Davids), Ronald (Brown), ‘Shakes’ (Soyizwapi), and Ryan, but we are still competing for the Springbok badge, and our performances must always reflect that. That is the only consideration.”
For Davids, the loss in the championship was disheartening: “We lost to ourselves.” We did not psychologically or physically prepare for the final, nor did we execute our game plan.
“That is aggravating, to be perfectly frank. Yes, we performed well in five games, but when it mattered, we failed. We were aware of what New Zealand would bring, but we did not answer to their challenge as effectively as I am capable of.”
Davids stated that it is not all gloom and despair.
“This weekend, we did a lot of things right, but we also made some significant errors,” he remarked.
“This gives us something to strive for when we return home, to repair those problems and make things better. The next time we play, we will need to ensure that we are all aligned with these objectives.”
Ricardo Duarttee scored the most points for the Blitzboks with 34, while Shilton van Wyk scored the most tries with six, Dalvon Blood scored three, and Baron scored three as well.
This past weekend, Duartee (13) made the most tackles, followed by Van Wyk (11), Blood, and Davids (10 each).
Dylan Collier of New Zealand takes a rest during the 2023 Sydney Sevens match between New Zealand and South Africa on January 29, 2023, at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Australia. (Image credit: Matt King/Getty Images)
WORLD SERIES STANDINGS AFTER FIVE TOURNAMENTS:
New Zealand ranks first with 85 points.
76 for South Africa
3. Samoa – 68
4. France – 68
5. Fiji – 67
6. Argentina – 67
7. USA – 66
8. Australia – 62
Ireland — 58
10. United Kingdom – 35
»Blitzboks move to SECOND on log despite Sydney Sevens thrashing«