Sandile Ngcobo was removed as head coach of the Springbok Sevens after a poor showing in Los Angeles left the team facing a struggle to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Assistant coach Philip Snyman has taken over as head coach until the end of July.
After failing to secure automatic qualification for the games, the Blitzboks will now have to take part in the final qualification tournament in Monaco towards the end of July.
Despite winning the 2023 Dubai Sevens tournament in impressive fashion, the team’s fortunes have taken a massive downturn.
And at the Los Angeles leg of the 2023/24 series, last year’s Sevens Rookie of the Year, Ricardo Duarttee, left the team for personal reasons.
According to reports, Duarttee had become disillusioned that he was used mostly off the bench. The environment in the team under Ngcobo, says another report, had become “toxic“.
On Wednesday, SA Rugby took action and removed Ngcobo from his position, moving him back to the “role of coach to the next generation of sevens players”.
“We have a talented and experienced group of Sevens players, but they have underperformed since winning the opening event of the world series in Dubai and results have only worsened,” SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We have yet to qualify for the Olympics and there is a danger that the team will not automatically retain its core status on the series. We greatly appreciate the honesty of Sandile’s approach and must praise him for placing the team’s needs above his personal ambitions.
“We will continue to invest in his development and believe he has a future in our systems. However, the short-term needs of the team are such that for continuity purposes we have given Philip the task of reviving the team’s fortunes.
“A review of the broader Sevens department’s structure will continue to ensure that it is fit for purpose. The Blitzboks have been a shining light for rugby for many seasons and we wish to see them on fire once again.”
IOL Sport