OPINION: Blitzboks need to shape up in Cape Town tournament

After finishing sixth at the season-opening Dubai Sevens tournament last weekend, Philip Snyman and his charges will be desperate to hit back and challenge for the title at home in Cape Town this weekend.

But so inconsistent have the Blitzboks been for two to three seasons now that anything is possible at the Cape Town Stadium this coming Saturday and Sunday. And, the Blitzboks have never really performed that well in Cape Town so expectations of them doing something special should be tempered.

Having picked up the bronze medal in surprising fashion at the Paris Olympics at the end of July it was hoped the team would kick on when the current series got under way, but it was more of the same in Dubai this last weekend; Snyman’s men making plenty of errors and just not being up to the standard required to win a tournament.

In Dubai they beat Australia, lost to Kenya, beat France and then lost to France (in the knockouts), and lost to New Zealand.

Snyman has vowed to change the squad for this weekend, so it will be interesting to see if some new blood can change the team’s fortunes.

Cape Town tournament

There is, however, one slightly different challenge facing all the teams this weekend – it’s a 12-team tournament, with three outfits in four pools, meaning teams will have to win both their pool matches to advance straight to the semi-finals. There’s no room for error, at all.

And in their pool they’re up against Argentina, who finished third in Dubai after beating New Zealand in the match for third and fourth 14-0, and Ireland, a side who gave them a torrid time last season.

The Blitzboks have won only one tournament in Cape Town, in the 2015/16 season, though they finished runners up in 2016/17 and 2019/2020.

Before the tournament moved to Cape Town, it was held in Gqeberha, where they won in 2013/14 and 2014/15, and in George where they won in 2008/9.

Snyman and Co will be desperate to put up a big fight at home and pick up some valuable log points ahead of the next phase of the series, with the first tournament of 2025 in Perth at the end of January.