It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman after the Blitzboks’ fifth-place finish at the Emirates Dubai 7s on Sunday, but he admitted that they did not perform to their own expectations.
Eleven players involved in their season-ending HSBC SVNS World Championship victory in Los Angeles in May will be part of the Springbok Sevens squad for the 2026 HSBC SVNS opener in Dubai next weekend, while Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman added experienced stalwarts Christie Grobbelaar and Donavan Don to his team.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Springbok Sevens’ performance on the final day of the HSBC SVNS Perth was not what he expected, but Blitzbok coach Philip Snyman was still happy about their fourth-place finish as that was one of their objectives at the start of the season.
“To be the best you have to beat the best. We want to be the best team in Perth this weekend so we know what we need to do.”