Coach praises Blitzboks’ efforts in Sydney

The Blitzboks have made it to the semi-finals of the Sydney Sevens after topping Pool B and then beating Ireland in their quarter-final clash on Saturday.   

Blitzbok coach Sandile Ngcobo was full of praise for his charges following their efforts on the day, which saw a marked improvement from Hamilton the previous week, something he was quick to note.   

"Everybody agreed after Hamilton that we cannot be happy with those performances and that we needed to step up and represent the badge and all it stands for with everything we had," he said.  

"The guys did that today, and I am very proud. The performances today were for everyone that contributed to this effort and also for the injured players, guys like Selvyn Davids, who returned home, Siviwe Soyizwapi and Ryan Oosthuizen, who got injured here.  

"This performance also represented the guys back home in Stellenbosch, and it was pleasing to see the effort. I am very proud."  

Ngcobo said the way the players implemented the plan for each match was exactly what the coaching staff asked them to do:   

"We reminded them about the system and how that overrides any individual effort, and we saw that out there.   

"Defending like we did against New Zealand with six players on the field showed that the guys took it personally and trusted each other. That is one of the main ingredients in our system."  

After falling at the quarter-final stage in Hamilton last week, Ngcobo said it was imperative that his team started on the front foot against Ireland.   

"We wanted to score first and keep the pressure from there onwards, and it worked out like that," said Ngcobo.  

"We have a very good mix in the squad currently, and that helps in our execution. The senior players in the squad are very