The Blitzboks have not won the Sevens World Series since 2021. However, a revival could be on the cards after their bronze medal at the Olympics.
A return to glory for the Blitzboks could indeed be on the horizon, especially given their resurgence under Philip Snyman.
After Neil Powell stepped down, the Blitzboks faced a tough transition period. Powell had led them to Sevens World Series titles in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2021. He also steered the Blitzboks to the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold – another achievement to prop up a legacy that proved difficult to maintain.
After Powell’s departure, the team struggled with consistency, and their failure to qualify as Africa’s best team for the Olympics — scraping in as the second-best team behind Kenya — was a sign of their decline.
However, Snyman, Powell’s former captain, has reinvigorated the side since taking over. Leading the Blitzboks to a bronze medal at the Olympics is a massive achievement, especially given the team’s challenges in the lead-up to the tournament.
This success shows that Snyman understands the team dynamics and knows how to rebuild the side, making use of younger talent while still harnessing the experience of veterans.
“The smile is still the same; he’s just giving orders now but the coach is still the same. It’s nice to know that one of your team members is coaching you now and he knows what is [driving] you and he knows how to get the guys in a good space. It means that there’s trust and belief,” Blitzboks speedster Rosko Specman said about Snyman, his former teammate, in an interview with ESPN.
“Like the coach was saying: We can take this as the beginning of a season. It just showed where we can get better and from here, we can just build on it coming into the next season because we will just have a month off and then we will prepare for Dubai again, so it’s a quick turnaround and it’s now time to relax and spend time with our families.”
While there is still work to be done, the bronze medal signals that the Blitzboks have the potential to climb back to the top. If Snyman continues to build on this momentum, a return to their former glory days seems well within reach.
This year’s Sevens World Series begins on 30 November.
