South African Sevens captain Siviwe Soyizwapi tackled bu Josiah Morra of Canada in the Sevens Rugby Tournament at the DHL Cape Town Stadium FILE. South Africa will be in action twice on Wednesday in the men’s rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics. Seen here: Blitzboks player Siviwe Soyizwapi with the ball. Picture: Phando Jikelo/Independent Media
The Blitzboks will get their Paris Olympics campaign underway with two matches on Wednesday.
First up for South Africa at the Stade de France, just north of Paris, will be a clash against Ireland at 5.30pm in the fifth match of the day.
A few hours later at 9.30pm, the Blitzboks will take on New Zealand in their final Pool A clash of the day at the same venue.
On Thursday, the Blitzboks play Japan at 4pm.
LEARN from the best....@speckmagic11 pic.twitter.com/bsOtBPIVj5
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) July 16, 2024
Also in action on Thursday will be Wian Roux in the men’s Archery starting at 2.15pm.
After failing to qualifying automatically, the Blitzboks were stunned by Kenya in the Africa qualifiers and had one final shot at the Games at World Rugby Sevens Repechage tournament in Monaco.
The Blitzboks then clicked into gear in the Principality, going through the tournament unbeaten before clinching their place in Paris with a nervy win over Great Britain in the final.
They went back to basics in Monaco, backing their ferocious defence and skill and speed on the counter to get the job done.
Now, the team has put their poor season behind them and are ready to show that South African grit and spirit in Paris. Coach Philip Snyman – a bronze medallist from the 2016 Games in Rio – said they have done everything possible to be at their competitive best this week.
Team SA Sevens:
Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser, Zain Davids, Quewin Nortje, Tiaan Pretorius, Shaun Williams, Selvyn Davids (captain), Tristan Leyds, Rosko Specman, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Shilton van Wyk. Travelling reserves: Ronald Brown, Katlego Letebele.
IOL Sport, additional reporting by @JohnGoliath82