Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman expressed his satisfaction with the progress of his squad’s HSBC SVNS pre-season preparations on Thursday, as they finished their final condition block before the 2026 season kicks off.
Ricardo Duarttee and Mfundo Ndhlovu, who were members of the Blitzboks’ HSBC SVNS World Championship winning squad, have been included in the Springbok Sevens ‘A’ squad for the Rugby Africa Sevens Cup in Mauritius, where Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman will get a glimpse of what the future holds for the sevens programme.
Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman heaped praise on his squad after a commanding weekend of sevens rugby displayed at the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles, with the Blitzboks finishing as the only undefeated side and crowned winners on Sunday.
Fifty seven tournaments into his HSBC SVNS career, Siviwe Soyizwapi returns to Hong Kong for a sixth time, older and wiser, but just as determined as he was in 2016, when he made his Blitzbok debut at the Hong Kong Stadium.
After winning gold twice and silver twice at BC Place in Vancouver in earlier versions of the Canadian leg of HSBC SVNS, the Springbok Sevens squad are well aware of their underwhelming performances in recent seasons.
Springbok Sevens coach Philip Snyman was beaming with pride after the Blitzboks won the HSBC SVNS Cape Town for the first time since 2015 on Sunday evening.
The Springbok Sevens team assembled in Cape Town without Ryan Oosthuizen, who picked up a concussion in Dubai last weekend and was ruled out of the HSBC SVNS Cape Town this weekend.
For Donavan Don, last weekend’s season opening tournament in Dubai felt like his Springbok Sevens debut all over again, something the Blitzbok flyer is sure will happen again this weekend in Cape Town, where the DHL Stadium will play host to the second tournament of the 2025 HSBC SVNS series.
Tristan Leyds might be a first timer at the Emirates Dubai 7s this year and low on HSBC SVNS experience compared to the rest of the Springbok Sevens squad, but the playmaker is more than ready for his debut at The SEVENS Stadium this weekend.
The Springbok Sevens team leave Cape Town for Dubai with a firm belief in their objectives for the new season and the knowledge that teamwork and work ethic will be non-negotiable.