It has been a tough few weeks for the Blitzboks, after a bad clash in Los Angeles and Vancouver in the World Rugby Sevens Series which saw them slip down the points table, and then the Hong Kong tournament, this weekend.
The SA Sevens team could only pick up 10 and 3 points in the two tournaments in North America, and coach Sandile Ngcobo’s side dropped to seventh in the standings.
And the Blitzboks are running out of tournaments to make up ground – after this week’s Hong Kong event, they only have Singapore, Toulouse and London to make an impact.
Three new players
But the most important thing is to go back to Hong Kong. But it won’t be easy as the squad is still missing several first-choice players to injury.
Assistant coach Philip Snyman confirmed this week that three other new players will be in action in Hong Kong, namely Donovan Don, Ethan James and Sebastiaan Jobb.
“They are intelligent (players) with an X factor and they are learning very quickly, but we need to help them get used to our system as soon as possible,” said Snyman.
He added that the team will need to play smart rugby in Hong Kong to make an impact. The good news is that the Blitzboks have welcomed some experienced campaigners.
“We’ve got Shaun Williams, Travis Ismaiel and Tiaan Pretorius back from injury and I think there’s a lot of energy in the team. Yes, we’ve lost nine players to injury – six playmakers – but those are the cards we’ve dealt, and the new guys are learning a lot, bring a positive attitude to camp.
“We know how dangerous we can be with the ball in hand, but that means we can’t win possession and we need the ball quickly from damage, so we can try to speed it up in space.
“Then we have to make a big step in defense. We only completed 56% of the tackles in Vancouver and we have to get at least 80%. If we do that, we will concede five or six tries less, and hopefully we will score a few other, that should make a big difference.
The Blitzboks are in a pool with Ireland, Kenya and New Zealand.