Blitzboks hope to build on momentum from Monaco

The Blitzboks are out for redemption after a miserable season and are focused on grabbing that elusive first gold medal at their third Olympic Games from today in Paris.

Competing as Team South Africa, a good start this afternoon against Ireland (5:30pm start) will be crucial if they are to turn their fortunes around and challenge for a medal in the final tournament.

South Africa will also face New Zealand later this evening (9.30pm), while a third match awaits against Japan at 4pm tomorrow.

They will have to win at least two of the three pool matches to stand a chance of making it to the quarter-finals, but three wins should secure an easier passage to the finals day.

But first they must get past the Irish who have been a thorn in the side of the Blitzboks in the past couple of matches. The last time the two two teams faced each other at the Olympics was in Tokyo three years ago, with the South Africans coming away with an easy 33-14 victory. But Ireland have improved massively since then and become a core side on the circuit.

In their past five meetings, all in 2024, the Blitzboks only managed to win one game against the Irish and that could weigh heavily on them. Their four match-ups this year against the All Blacks Sevens have been split evenly, with two wins apiece for the arch-rivals.

“They (Ireland) will be very physical, at the breakdown too, and it will be the same with New Zealand. So we have put a big focus into our defence,” interim head coach Philip Snyman said.

“We have to make those tackles and stay in the structure. Ireland keeps the possession well, so we have to force them to play off the back foot. If they get front-foot possession and momentum, they can be dangerous. We want possession for our attack because we have the firepower.

“But we must remain in the moment to overcome that first hurdle. With everything we do, we must ensure every player is ready for the occasion. When we get over that first hurdle, we can look at New Zealand. But I expect them to play more or less the same as Ireland.

“If we tackle well (against both teams) and keep our possession, it could be a good Olympic start for us.”

According to Snyman, who won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio with the Blitzboks, they had a good week of preparation since their arrival, and are ready to take on the challenge.

After their struggles during the regular season, the South Africans are not seen as realistic medal contenders, but that leaves the players free of the burden of expectation.

The Blitzboks won every game at the Repechage tournament to seal the final Olympic spot and will hope to build on that momentum.

“For us, it will just be another opportunity to represent our country and to deliver our best effort for the jersey. Yes, the reward might be different, but the game remains the same and that is where our focus will be,” Snyman said.

“We are the only team (at the Olympics) to play in the Repechage in Monaco and had no break at the end of the world series in Madrid (at the beginning of last month), so we are rugby-fit and will be ready to go. That could just give us an edge on the other sides who have not played tournament sevens as recently as we did.”