Philip Snyman praised his team after a stunning victory over New Zealand that will see the Blitzboks contest for an Olympic Games medal against hosts France tomorrow.
South Africa beat Japan by 49-5 to sneak into the play-offs – they had to win by 21 points or more – and then showed sheer defensive determination to eliminate New Zealand by 14-7.
“They deserve to be in the semi-finals, as they have executed and delivered everything I have asked from them today,” Snyman said after the quarter-finals.
“We did not play poorly on day one, we just could not get our hands on the ball, but today was a different performance, a really inspiring one.
“We needed to win big against Japan and scored seven well-worked tries, but against New Zealand, our defence was going to be crucial and I am so proud of how the guys responded.”
Snyman said he had a good feeling about the ability of the players selected to travel to the world showpiece.
“Once we made it into the quarters, I told them to start believing that it is possible,” said Snyman.
“I had a good feeling about the ability of the side, so once we were into the last eight, it was time to remind them of that.
“This was such a great win, built on defence and workrate, while we struck when we needed to. In fact, we left another try or two out there. These guys deserve to contest for a medal, they showed that tonight.”
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