Cape Town - The Springbok Sevens team have produced some glorious tournament victories over the years, but are still missing a Hong Kong Sevens title.
The Cape Town Stadium triumph in December was one of the most memorable in the Blitzboks’ history, as it followed a disappointing performance the week before in Dubai where they had to be satisfied with a win in the Plate final.
But, with Hong Kong being seen as the most prestigious of all the tournaments on the World Sevens Series circuit, it is high time that Neil Powell’s team change that history at the National Stadium this weekend.
The South Africans have reached the final on three occasions, the first in 1997, when it doubled up as the World Cup with a star-studded side that included 15-man Springbok stars such as Bob Skinstad, Joost van der Westhuizen, André Venter, André Snyman and Pieter Rossouw.
They thrashed New Zealand 31-7 in the semi-final, but were edged 24-21 by Fiji in the decider.
They had to wait until 2008 before going all the way again, but New Zealand won the final 26-12, while Fiji held on for a 26-24 win in 2009.
But this time around, coach Neil Powell is trying to treat it as just another tournament instead of attaching extra importance to it. “I think in the past we put too much emphasis on it because it’s the one we could never win in the past. So the key for us is to just go out there, implement our stuff and go through our processes,” he said.
“Preparation-wise, it was key for us to get the guys fresh again and almost get that desire back to be successful (after losing to New Zealand in Vancouver in their last tournament).
“It is a tough season as we have two-and-a-half weeks between tournaments, and the guys are still struggling to get over the jet-lag and then they almost need to get on a plane again to get to Hong Kong.
“So, we tried something different where we rested the guys a little bit more, so hopefully we got that balance right between resting the guys, but also getting them prepared, coached and conditioned for this tournament.”
Perhaps they can be inspired to grab that elusive Hong Kong title for stalwart Philip Snyman, who returns to the team from a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Las Vegas and Vancouver events.
Snyman will be playing in a landmark 35th tournament, with only Fabian Juries, Marius Schoeman, Mzwandile Stick, Frankie Horne, Kyle Brown, Chris Dry, Cecil Afrika and Branco du Preez in that elite group for South Africa since the World Series started in 1999.
“Every tournament is special, but to share this with a bunch of amazing people and the team, the brotherhood that we have, is just an awesome feeling. I can’t wait to share the moment with them and I’m really fortunate to play in my 35th tournament this weekend,” Snyman said on Wednesday.
“Hong Kong is always a special tournament, but the likes of Dubai and Cape Town… you can’t really pick one that’s (better than the other). But this is my 35th tournament and one that I will cherish for the rest of my career. Hopefully we can deliver over the weekend.
“This is the fourth leg of the series, and Hong Kong is the first tournament of that leg. There is no exception or anything – Hong Kong is another tournament and we are only looking at that first game against England.”
The Blitzboks open the three-day tournament on Friday against England (2.50pm SA time), with their last two Pool B fixtures on Saturday against Russia (7.54am) and Scotland (11.54am). The playoffs take place on Sunday.
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