Head coach Sandile Ngcobo says the Blitzboks “paid the price” for not implementing their gameplan at the business end of the New Zealand Sevens on Sunday.
South Africa dropped two close results and finished in a disappointing seventh place at the FMG Stadium in Hamilton, as well as sliding to fourth on the 2022-23 World Sevens Series standings.
Argentina won the title by beating New Zealand 14-12 in the final, with the hosts moving to the top of the standings. The top four teams will automatically qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games at the end of the season.
After their clean sweep in the pool on Saturday, which included a win over Argentina, the two defeats on Sunday – 22-17 to France and 21-14 to Ireland – came as a disappointment to Ngcobo.
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“We have a team motto and culture and one of those are at least 80% tackle completion, something we did not do today,” said Ngcobo.
“I think we were grabbing arms and not trying to get our shoulders on bodies, which resulted in some missed tackles, and we paid the price. We were not quite there today.
“When we lost the battle on the floor and contested poorly at the kick-offs, we placed ourselves under a lot of pressure. Those two areas are crucial in sevens and we did not do well in those two areas today.”
Possession was another aspect that hampered their progress, but Ngcobo was more concerned about not using the ball when opportunities were created.
“We are a fast team and when we play against teams who are physically bigger than us, it is crucial that we use that advantage,” he said.
“There is a plan for every opponent, but for that to work, one needs to execute when you have the opportunity. That did not happen today.”
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Ngcobo said the South Africans will regroup and be ready to go again come the Sydney Sevens next weekend: “It is going to be a short turnaround – we are playing on Friday already, so we will have three days to analyse and adjust where needed and then hit Sydney with a fresh effort.
“I saw enough positives here over the weekend to travel to Australia with confidence and I thought Jaiden Baron did well on debut. So although we are disappointed about the effort on Sunday, there is much anticipation to go again next weekend.”
The Blitzboks lost Selvyn Davids to a groin strain on Saturday and he did not play on Sunday, and he will be assessed and replaced if needed.
Ngcobo said: “He worked hard back home to get back in shape and it was unfortunate that he injured his groin, but these things happen. He is a valuable player in our system.”
Unfortunately, the execution wasn’t there for the #Blitzboks in Hamilton today – more here: https://t.co/3aE0oAIUFS ?#BlitzIgnite pic.twitter.com/vYWgWl9xiO
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) January 22, 2023
Photo: @Blitzboks/Twitter