South Africa's Sebastiaan Jobb charges through Ireland defense with Ethan James in support on day 2 of the Singapore Sevens. Picture: Mike Lee, KLC fotos for World Rugby
Leighton Koopman
The Blitzboks prefer a tough opening match when they start a specific sevens tournament, so that they can be switched on from the first clash until the final one.
That is exactly what they will get when the team starts their quest for another Vancouver SVNS title in Canada next weekend.
New Zealand will be the first opponents of the Springbok Sevens, and being drawn in the ‘Pool of Death’ with Ireland and Australia the other two sides, they must perform from the outset to get the results they are chasing.
“We prefer it that way, as you need to be switched on from the start. The tougher the start, the better we do, as we saw in Cape Town earlier in the series,” Blitzboks head coach Philip Snyman said after naming his squad on Thursday.
The quickness of the artificial playing surface at BC Place is normally an ally for the South Africans, and with that in mind, Snyman opted for some tweaks to his group that came fourth in Perth last month.
Playmaker Tristan Leyds and speedster Sebastiaan Jobb return, with the latter set for his first tournament in almost two years.
Snyman named his group of 13 players on Thursday, with Jobb replacing the injured Zain Davids and Leyds coming in as a like-for-like swop with Dewald Human.
Jobb debuted in Hong Kong in 2023, and played his second and last tournament for South Africa a week later in Singapore.
Leyds was a star in the tournament victory in Cape Town in December, before picking up a hand injury that ruled him out of Perth.
The Blitzboks won at BC Place in 2019 and 2021, and Snyman is confident his tweaks will deliver similar results.
“Both Tristan and Sebastiaan will add to the dynamics of the squad, and I know they will be very competitive in their pool matches against New Zealand, Ireland and Australia,” the coach said about the returning players.
“Sebastiaan has worked very hard over the last couple of months. He was already close to selection for the Olympic Games last year. He was unlucky with untimely injuries over the last couple of seasons, but he is ready to play.
“We will play on an artificial pitch, where the game will be faster, and Sebastiaan’s pace will be a huge factor.”
The Blitzbok coach is also excited about the returning Leyds, and the energy and skills he’ll bring to the side.
“He had two very good outings in Dubai and Cape Town, and slotted right back in. Tristan comes in for Dewald Human, who has now played three tournaments on the trot and deserves a bit of a rest.
“We did our analysis on all teams before the season started, and will fine-tune our approach once we see what squads they selected.
“But the main focus will always be on ourselves, and how we want to play the game.”
Blitzboks fixtures (SA Times)
Friday, 21 February: 10.02pm: New Zealand
Saturday 22 February: 3.29am: Ireland, 09.14am: Australia
Springbok Sevens squad: Ryan Oosthuizen (52 tournaments), Impi Visser (co-captain, 42), Ricardo Duarttee (15), Ronald Brown (18), Selvyn Davids (co-captain, 38), Siviwe Soyizwapi (56), Shilton van Wyk (23), Quewin Nortjé (9), Donavan Don (6), Sebastiaan Jobb (2), David Brits (6), Zander Reynders (2), Tristan Leyds (7).
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