Blitzboks captain Siviwe Soyizwapi says his manne aren’t paaping for the challenge of trying to secure a top-four finish on the World Series, which will mean automatic qualification for the 2024 Olympics.
The Blitzbokke are back in action at the Hong Kong Sevens this weekend, where they will also unleash rookies Donovan Don, Ethan James and Sebastiaan Jobb for their debuts.
Injuries to more than a dozen players, many of them regular starters, have really disrupted coach Sandile Ngcobo’s span over the last few months.
3️⃣ New players for the team that will do duty in Hong Kong this coming weekend.
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) March 28, 2023
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Ahead of the main event on the Sevens calendar, South Africa are currently seventh on the standings on 89 points and five shy of joint-fourth placed Fiji and Australia on 94.
Soyizwapi on #Blitzboks challenge in @OfficialHK7s: "Looking at how the season has unfolded so far, every game is now like a final" - more here: https://t.co/3J4sQnccxI ⚡️#BlitzIgnite pic.twitter.com/KjgyMR8Wct
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) March 28, 2023
Soyizwapi says: “I don’t think we’re necessarily under any pressure – this weekend we’re ranked fourth in our pool and we will be up against the top team, but we will treat every game like we always have.
“Sure, it hasn’t been smooth sailing, but we’re a work in progress. It’s important to keep working hard and to ensure we get to the level we know we can be at.”
The Blitzboks’ first Pool B match in Hong Kong is on Friday (kickoff 9.04am) against Ireland, and on Saturday they face Series leaders New Zealand (5.04am) and Kenya (9.25am) in their other group games.
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