They did it the hard way, but the Springbok Sevens finally booked their ticket to the Paris Olympics Games for a third consecutive time since Rugby Sevens was introduced in 2016, when they defeated Great Britain in the final of the World Rugby Sevens Repechage event in Monaco on Sunday evening.
The Springbok Sevens squad are keen to make their third opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics count and join their regular foes at the Rugby Sevens event in Paris.
Springbok Women’s Sevens coach Renfred Dazel invited a group of 17 players to a Paris 2024 Olympic Games preparation camp in Potchefstroom, with the squad assembling.
Zain Davids and Shilton van Wyk return to the Springbok Sevens squad that will contest the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco from 21-23 June.
Springbok Women's Sevens head coach Renfred Dazel said they will have to take their HSBC SVNS relegation on the chin, regroup and give their season a fitting finish at their first appearance at the Olympic Games later this year.
It was not the result they had hoped for, but the Springbok Sevens will take away valuable lessons from Madrid this weekend after they finished sixth in the HSBC SVNS Grand Finale in Spain.
The Springbok Women's Sevens team will hope that the intensity of play during the 2024 HSBC SVNS will benefit them in Madrid this weekend when they face Argentina, Belgium and Brazil in the play-off finals of the season-ending tournament, to be played at Civitas Metropolitano Stadium from Friday to Sunday.
The belief in their turnaround of fortunes is real and come the HSBC SVNS Grand Finale in Madrid this weekend, the Springbok Sevens team will be ready to deliver.
Playing rugby for your country remains a privilege, and being able to don the green and gold in both sevens and fifteens even more so. Hence, when the call came to rejoin the Springbok Women's Sevens and travel to Spain for the HSBC SVNS Qualifier this weekend, Veroeshka Grain did not hesitate despite having just returned from Madagascar with the Springbok Women.
The record books will reflect that South Africa won the last two HSBC SVNS tournaments in Spain – Malaga and Seville in 2022 – and for Justin Geduld, playing in his 60th world series tournament for the Blitzboks this weekend, those achievements can be repeated.