Blitzbok’s spoedvraat Rosko Specman says they have a score to settle with Ireland in today’s 5.30pm opening game of the Paris Olympic Games Rugby Sevens tournament at Stade France.
South Africa also take on old rivals New Zealand tonight at 9.30pm and wins against both teams will go a long way in helping coach Philip Snyman’s team reach the quarterfinals for a third successive time at an Olympic Games.
They did so in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro with then-captain Kyle Brown’s team bagging a bronze medal.
In 2020’s Covid-19 restricted tourney in Tokio they also reached the quarters, but former captain Siviwe Soyizwapi’s manskap lost to Argentina.
But after becoming the last team to qualify for Paris 2024 through last month’s Repechage Tournament win in Monaco, captain Selvyn Davids and his manne are rank outsiders to reach the playoffs.
Their recent results in games against Ireland and New Zealand will certainly not inspire hope after the Iere and Kiwis KO’d SA at the pool stage in June’s SVNS Series final tournament in Madrid.
And with the 12-team tournament’s format seeing only the top-two out of Pools A, B and C and then the two best third-placed teams reach the quarterfinals, South Africa have to win both games today to make qualification for the KO rounds easier.
And of having an appeltjie te skil with the Iere, Specman tells the SA Olympic team’s website: “We’re out to settle a score. They beat us the last time we played them, and then when it came to the 15’s they won the second Test to level the series at 1-all. We want to make it 2-1…”