Impi Visser and the Blitzboks are looking to extend their championship-winning form to the Perth Sevens this weekend. | Ayanda Ndamane Independent Newspapers
The Springbok Sevens team are feeling like they are starting on a clean slate despite arriving in Perth on Sunday as the HSBC SVNS Cape Town champions.
The Blitzboks are determined to build on that historic victory on home soil last month. According to Impi Visser, one of the co-captains for the trip, the victory – their first at home since 2015 – showed the value of hard work, but the whole squad realised that it all starts at zero again when they returned to training a couple of weeks back.
It was a theme echoed by head coach Philip Snyman when the team began preparations for a tilt at back-to-back titles.
“Cape Town was just the start and we can’t think the season is made and we need to put it behind us,“ he warned.
It was a message not lost on Visser as the South Africans look to build on a solid start to the 2025 series. They secured 30 points from the opener in Dubai and the home triumph to sit in fourth place in the standings.
“The pressures to perform when you play for the Blitzboks are always there,” he said after a long haul from Cape Town to Perth via Dubai.
“The win in Cape Town just confirmed that our hard work paid off, that we have set a standard for ourselves to maintain now. We arrive here in Perth with exactly that in mind. To be at our best as that will bring results.”
For the durable forward, who made his debut in 2019 and has played in 41 world series tournaments, the enjoyment factor is still relevant in an experienced Springbok Sevens squad.
“We have some very experienced players on tour, with only Zander (Reynders) in his first season, so there is good synergy in the group, as well as cohesion ahead of that will be another very competitive weekend for us,” he said.
Zain Davids will reach his 5Oth HSBC SVNS tournament cap for the Blitzboks who have also welcomed the return of key trio Ryan Oosthuizen, Ronald Brown and Selvyn Davids. They replaced Mfundo Ndhlovu, Shaun Williams and Tristan Leyds, from the side that secured the home win.
The Blitzboks will face the US, Australia and Argentina in their pool in Perth and according to Visser, all will be tough to break down.
“All our opponents have their strengths and weaknesses, but we have seen that we do best when we just keep the focus on ourselves,” said Visser.
“We have very good potential and if you add the experience that Ryan (Oosthuizen), Ronald (Brown) and Selvyn (Davids) will bring, we will be competitive, that is for sure. We know what we can do, now the challenge will be to not only stick to those standards but raise the bar even higher.”
Visser is expecting good support from the expat community in Perth and welcomes that: “We have seen that wherever we play during the series, the South Africans abroad come out in good numbers to support us. That is a nice bonus for us, as well as a source of inspiration.”
The Blitzboks will start their campaign on Friday morning against the US at 8.23am, and their second Pool A match, against Australia, at 1.52pm will conclude the first day’s play at HBF Park. They play Argentina at 7.50am on Saturday, with the knock-out rounds starting in the afternoon.
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