Johannesburg - The Springbok Sevens squad has not been in Singapore since April 2019 and their return has brought back fond memories of one of their most famous victories.
It is three years since the popular tournament at the National Stadium took place but the memorable ending to that tournament has not been forgotten — the Blitzboks famously came back from being 19-0 down in the final against Fiji to clinch victory by one point, 20-19.
Springbok Sevens skipper, Siviwe Soyizwapi, certainly recalls that match – as well as a number of other familiar surroundings in Singapore.
“I was not part of that match as I got injured in the semi-final against the USA and could not play in the final,” he recalls.
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“It is a bittersweet memory as such, as one always wants to be on the field, especially in a final like that – those are the games you dream of and train for. That said, it was still wonderful to be there.”
Three years is a long time, but Soyizwapi reckons it does not feel that long ago since they played in the humidity of Singapore.
“A lot of the surroundings are the same, the humidity, the friendly hosts around you, the amazing facilities,” he said.
“No wonder this was always one of the favourite destinations for us as a team and the fact that the result went our way last time, made it even more so.”
Reflection is good, but now the Blitzboks have to do it all again, even if they are on the second-best winning streak ever in World Rugby Sevens Series history.
Canada, Kenya and the USA await the Bitzboks in Pool A and Soyizwapi says they cannot expect anything to come their way that we are not prepared to work for.
“We have been on the winning side in 34 matches, but that is something of the past. It was also something we had to address, as it has been all over the media.
“So, there was no way we wanted it to become an elephant in the room for us. It might be a big focus out there, but it is not our focus. We spoke about it and then put it aside and I am confident that it will not be an issue this weekend.”
For Soyizwapi and his teammates, it has been all about adapting to the new time zones, humidity and getting their mindset ready for their first game on the opening day of the tournament.
“We love to be challenged and being put out of our comfort zones, this is what makes us better as people and as a team,” he said.
“For that reason, I was quite pleased to see how we have adapted already to the time zone difference and the heat and what effort the guys are showing in training since arrival. It is good to see that we are embracing those challenges, there were no excuses and we hit the ground running.”
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