OPINION: One last chance for Blitzboks to make big statement

South African rugby fans will hope for a strong showing by the Blitzboks when the 2024/25 season comes to a close in Los Angeles this weekend with the staging of the “World Championship”.

It has been another up-and-down season for the once mighty Blitzboks who ruled the game for several years some time ago.

The SA Sevens team finished fourth on the points table after the six events, with just one tournament win, in Cape Town in their home tournament.

In the last two events, in Hong Kong and Singapore, they failed to make the cup quarter-finals and semi-finals and finished ninth in both tournaments.

But, the Blitzboks will feature in the grand final in LA this weekend, along with the top eight teams from the series. They’re joined in their pool by France, Britain and Argentina. The other pool consists of New Zealand, Fiji, Australia and Spain.

It’s now best of the best and winner takes all.

At full strength for World Championship

Philip Snyman’s team have beaten all the sides in their pool this season, but there is not much separating the four sides and the Blitzboks will certainly have to be at their best in their three pool matches.

The top two teams in each pool advance to the semi-finals.

The good news for the South African team is that three big-game players, Quewin Nortje, the team’s leading try-scorer this season, and for series winners Ronald Brown and Mfundo Ndhlovu are fit again and will feature in LA.

It is an experienced 13-player group who on their day can beat anyone and Snyman and all of South Africa will hope they click this weekend.

Another thing going for them is the fact the Blitzboks generally perform well in one-off tournaments, as they showed in Paris last year when they managed to win the bronze medal at the Olympics.

So while the Blitzboks didn’t produce too many fireworks over the last season, bar for their good showing on home soil and the odd impressive result here and there, they have a chance to finish the campaign on a real high this weekend.

Here’s hoping for a big final push by the Blitzboks.