Blitzboks reflect on poor Singapore form, vow to resurrect matters in Vancouver

After dominating the World Rugby Sevens Series circuit over the past year, the Blitzboks were left smarting after losing in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Sevens.

The South Africans were dumped out of the tournament at the first knock-out stage, losing to Fiji.

They then lost in the fifth-place play-off match to Argentina, and together with a pool loss to the USA, South Africa suffered three losses at the event.

Neil Powell's charges will agree that they simply weren't at their best for the tournament's duration.

However, they've had time to reflect while undertaking the long trip from Singapore to Canada, where they will contest the Vancouver Sevens from Saturday.

JC Pretorius said the flight wasn't about catching a movie or resting; instead, they used it to their benefit. 

"The long flight turned out to be very productive as it gave us time to have a very good look at ourselves," said Pretorius.

"The reviews made it clear that we did not execute well enough in Singapore, and the implementation of our roles and responsibilities were not looked after," he added.

The players, who pride themselves on playing for their country on the world stage, took the chance to remind themselves of the privilege of doing so.

"It was a reminder of what we play for and what the badge stands for. We have massive respect for the badge, but our performances did not reflect that," said Pretorius.

Pretorius also remembered the last time the Blitzboks felt this way.

"I can recall that in 2019, we finished eighth in Las Vegas, and the next weekend, we won here in Vancouver," he said.

"So, with reflection and time to work on this, we will be competitive again this weekend. Tactically we did not execute, and that is something we can fix."

Zain Davids