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.
Springbok Women's Sevens captain Mathrin Simmers heaped praised on her team after they closed out the last of three World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger tournaments, in Krakow, Poland, with their first victory in the trio of events.
There is a cold snap in the air in Krakow – and with eight becoming the chosen four at the end of the final World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger tournament this weekend – also some desperation for some of the teams who converged on the Polish city since Monday.
The Springbok Women’s Sevens team arrived in Poland late determined to keep their momentum from the opening two legs of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series that was played in Cape Town early last month.
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.
The Springbok Sevens team are ready to let the ‘Gino’ out of the bottle when they face Uruguay, Australia and New Zealand in their pool at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, which moves to a new venue this year, the 50,000-seater Kai Tak Stadium.
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.
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.
Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe became the first backline player since 2013 to take the prestigious SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year title at a glittering SA Rugby Awards ceremony at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town, while Nadine Roos took home the top women’s award for a second time.
The Springbok Women’s Sevens team realise the enormity and importance of the task at hand when they take the field in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town this weekend.