As a Blitzbok, he has won the HSBC SVNS world series, gold at the Commonwealth Games and bronze at the Olympic Games, but for Christie Grobbelaar, an appearance at his home tournament in Cape Town has remained rather elusive.
Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman congratulated the Springbok Sevens ‘A’ squad for their effort and application as they claimed the Rugby Africa Sevens Cup in Port Louis on Sunday.
It will be a tournament with no second chances, of clinical execution and most importantly, an opportunity where the Springbok Sevens team can deliver a performance that will do their season justice.
The Springbok Sevens’ 2025 season had it all: a rare home win in Cape Town, a losing final appearance in Vancouver, a fourth-place finish in Perth and some less flattering results in Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
SA Rugby mourns the passing of Norman Mbiko, the last captain of the African Springboks and a former head coach of the Blitzboks, who passed away in the early hours of Tuesday morning at the age of 79 after a long illness.
Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman still believes his squad can beat any other team on the HSBC SVNS, so their ninth-place finish in Hong Kong Sevens was a bitter pill to swallow.
The splendour of Singapore means it is considered a popular shopping destination, but Springbok Sevens co-captain Impi Visser insists that is the very last thing on their minds this week.
There is a real belief amongst the players in the Springbok Sevens squad that they are improving as a team and doing the right things well has become a blueprint for them, according to experienced forward Ryan Oosthuizen, who arrived in Hong Kong this week for a seventh time as a Blitzbok.
Zander Reynders says he will have a bigger role to play for the Blitzboks when they participate in the HSBC SVNS in Canada.
Sebastiaan Jobb will make a return to HSBC SVNS after almost two years while Tristan Leyds is fit and ready for more Springbok Sevens duty in the 2025 season after the duo have been recalled to the Blitzbok team for the fourth tournament of the current series, next weekend in Vancouver.