Blitzboks back on track as Snyman hails Perth Sevens title rebound

Philip Snyman has praised the Springbok Sevens squad for their belief and commitment after they claimed the HSBC SVNS Perth title with a hard-fought 21–19 victory over Fiji at HBF Park on Sunday.

The win marked a strong response from the Blitzboks following a fourth-place finish in Singapore a week earlier and kept their title ambitions firmly alive. South Africa now trails log leaders Fiji by just four points heading into the final legs of the series in Vancouver and Los Angeles next month.

“It was massive for us to finish the tour like this,” said Snyman. “We brought a couple of youngsters with us, made a semi final in Singapore, and won in Perth. The results were good, but more importantly we gave players experience and exposure on the circuit. Overall, I am very happy and proud.”

The Perth tournament also saw Luan Giliomee and Renaldo Young earn their first Blitzbok caps, while Sebastiaan Jobb returned to the squad after an absence of more than a year. Snyman highlighted Jobb’s impact as an example of the competitive depth within the group.

“He brought a lot of energy, scored crucial tries, and made important tackles and turnovers,” Snyman said. “If we can have three players in each position pushing one another, we will be in a good space.”

Snyman added that the squad had to adapt with several senior players unavailable due to injury or rest, including Impi Visser, Dewald Human, Ronald Brown, Selvyn Davids, Quewin Nortje, and Gino Cupido.

The coach was particularly pleased with how the team addressed shortcomings from Singapore, crediting the players for executing the plan more effectively in Perth.

“We needed to keep the ball longer, improve our strike rate in the opposition 22, and create pressure on defence,” he said. “We managed all of that this weekend and played with far more control and precision.”

According to Snyman, composure and discipline proved decisive in the final against Fiji, especially after costly sin bin periods in earlier matches.

“In the final we kept our composure and applied pressure. Fiji came back after our early tries, but the players stuck to the plan, and the bench made a big impact late on. That was a special performance.”

Snyman said the Blitzboks remain focused on consistency as the season reaches its climax.

“Our aim is to be consistent and make semi finals. We have won two tournaments and reached one semi final, so we are on track. There is still hard work ahead, but this was a good tour, and we are grateful for the support from the crowds and everyone back home.”

Selected Blitzbok stats from Perth

Leading points scorers: Ricardo Duarttee 29, Sebastiaan Jobb 20

Most tries: Sebastiaan Jobb 4 Zain Davids 3

Standings after four rounds

1 Fiji 70 2 South Africa 66 3 New Zealand 62 4 France 54 5 Australia 54