The Blitzboks team may have fallen short in their bid for the HSBC SVNS Vancouver title, but coach Philip Snyman remains optimistic about their overall campaign. The Springbok Sevens team finished as runners-up after a hard-fought 19-12 loss to Argentina in the final at BC Place, yet Snyman believes their objectives for the season remain well on track.
“It is never easy to lose in a final – you work so hard to get there, and coming up short is not part of the plan,” Snyman admitted. “But credit to Argentina; they were the better team on the day, especially in the first half, where they took their chances well. We fought back, but just couldn’t close it out.”
Despite the disappointment, Snyman remains focused on the bigger picture. A key goal for the season is to achieve top-four finishes in each tournament while expanding squad depth. At the halfway mark of the series, the Blitzboks have met those expectations in three out of four events, and Snyman is particularly pleased with the game time given to emerging players like Sebastiaan Jobb and Zander Reynders.
“We are aiming for semi-final appearances at every tournament, and we are mostly achieving that,” Snyman said. “Additionally, we gave opportunities to new players, and they performed well. That is an important part of our long-term plans.”
One of the standout moments of the tournament came in the semi-final against Fiji, where the Blitzboks had to play with six men for ten minutes after Jobb was red-carded. Despite the numerical disadvantage, they staged a dramatic comeback to snatch victory with the final play of the match.
“Playing Fiji with seven is already tough, so to do it with six and still win was incredible,” Snyman said. “The players showed immense heart and dedication, proving what the jersey means to them. That performance will stay with me for a long time.”
With two rounds remaining before the Grand Finale in Los Angeles, the Blitzboks remain in strong contention for the overall series title. The team will now shift focus to upcoming tournaments in Hong Kong (March 28-30) and Singapore (April 5-6), where Snyman plans to continue balancing competitiveness with squad development.
“We are still in the race for the series win, which is exciting, but we also want to continue building depth,” Snyman added. “Once we return home, the management team will assess the squad and determine our approach for the next leg. Despite the loss in Vancouver, we took away plenty of positives.”
The Blitzboks are set to return to Cape Town on Wednesday morning, where preparations will begin for the final stretch of the HSBC SVNS season.
