Out of the ‘mess’: Blitzboks coach relieved after Olympic qualification

They did it the hard way, but the Blitzboks finally booked their ticket to the Paris Olympic Games for a third consecutive time since Rugby Sevens was introduced in 2016, when they won the World Rugby Sevens Repechage qualifying tournament in Monaco on Sunday.

It was a great reward for the Springbok Sevens system, that they will once more go the Olympic Games, but the real relief was that the Blitzboks’ swagger and belief is back.

According to 2016 bronze medallist and interim Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman, the successful entry to the Paris Olympics, gained by beating Great Britain 14-5 in the final of the repechage, has installed a belief that they have turned a miserable season around.

“We had some bad months, yes, but the comeback is now complete, we got ourselves into the mess of having to qualify via repechage, but credit to the way the players responded,” said Snyman.

“We came here (to Monaco) knowing that defence will be the key to success and we only conceded three tries in six matches. The guys deserve a lot of credit for that.”

The coach praised all involved in the lead-up to the event and said the players deserved the applause after a successful tournament.

“We were down and out, but credit to the guys. They really deserve this and I am very pleased that we will be going to Paris,” Snyman said.

Cruising through

In the tournament the Blitzboks cruised through the pool stage, thumping Mexico, Tonga and Chile, before comfortably beating Uganda and Canada in the quarterfinals and semifinals, to reach the final where they were pushed but ultimately triumphed over Great Britain to book their spot in Paris.

Afterwards, team captain Selvyn Davids praised his troops and the management for a job well done, while also crediting the effort of their final opponents.

“The guys really wanted this. We came here well prepared, with good confidence and a solid game plan. Credit to all our opponents, especially Great Britain, who really gave us a hard time in that final,” said Davids.

“We knew it would be a tough weekend, but the way we responded to everything our opponents threw at us makes me a very proud Blitzboks captain.”

Meanwhile, World Rugby also announced the pools for the Rugby Sevens event in Paris, with South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and Japan in Pool A; Argentina, Australia, Samoa and Kenya in Pool B; and hosts France will face defending champions Fiji, USA and Uruguay in Pool C.