Blitzboks coach Powell hails Games gold medal winners: ‘Amazing’

A relieved Neil Powell, coach of the Blitzboks, has called his team’s gold medal winning run at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham “amazing” after the team beat Fiji 31-7 in the final on Sunday.

The Blitzboks went through the tournament unbeaten, having got the better of Malaysia, Tonga and Scotland in pool play and then they also defeated Canada and Australia in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively.

Powell’s men scored five tries to the one in the final against the favourites, Fiji, on Sunday night at the Coventry Stadium — a quite stunning result considering the Blitzboks were without captain Siviwe Soyizwapi and key playmaker Ronald Brown, who picked up injuries before the final.

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“I’m probably more relieved than anything else and really proud of the boys, they put in a massive effort – not only in the final against Fiji, but all six games over the weekend,” said Powell.

“It’s amazing to have won the gold medal again, like we did eight years ago in Glasgow, and especially after we finished fourth and didn’t win a medal at the previous Commonwealth Games in Australia, so there is a lot of emotion and the victory brought back memories of what happened in Glasgow in 2014.”

The Blitzboks have had an up and down year, having won the first four tournaments on the World Rugby Sevens circuit, but then more recently they failed to make the semi-finals even in Toulouse and London.

The standout part of the team’s game in Birmingham was their defence, as they conceded just four tries in their six games. The Blitzboks though scored 34 tries.

“The guys worked tirelessly on defence, sticking to our systems and putting in a massive effort, especially against the bigger opponents,” said Powell.

“After the World Series tournament in London, we had to reset and re-evaluated our goals for the rest of the season and the last three tournaments, the Commonwealth Games, the Los Angeles Sevens and finally the Rugby World Cup Sevens.

“The guys really worked hard in the build-up to this tournament, and I’m glad they got rewarded for it, showing once again that although hard work doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, it’s part of success.

“For our confidence, it was important for us to deliver a good performance here, especially after what happened in London, and to get some momentum and belief back. Hopefully the belief we got from this tournament, will carry us to LA and then the RWC Sevens early in September.”