Latest news with #PhilipSnyman
The Citizen
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Currie Cup to get Blitzboks boost?
Head coach Philip Snyman says several Blitzboks stars could feature in the 2025 Currie Cup, as the national sevens team looks to play a bigger role in SA rugby. Speaking to the media at Cape Town International Airport on Tuesday after arriving home from guiding South Africa to SVNS World Championship glory in Los Angeles, Snyman outlined his vision for his charges. 'We need to know where we fit in when it comes to being a bigger part of SA Rugby,' he was quoted by Rugby365. 'We don't only want to be known as a sevens culture; we want to be part of the whole South African union structure. 'Some guys might go and play in the Currie Cup because we have a long break. It's great for SA Sevens not to keep everything on an island but to play a bigger part in SA Rugby.' WATCH: Blitzboks crowned kings in LA Snyman emphasised establishing stronger relationships with provincial unions as a cornerstone of his strategy moving forward. 'Part of my plans is definitely to work closer with unions in terms of the Currie Cup,' he added. 'If we can start that relationship now and keep building it, it will help us get more players into our system.' Victory in Los Angeles caps a rollercoaster season for the Blitzboks, who won the Cape Town SVNS and reached the Vancouver final, but finished a disappointing ninth in Singapore. Snyman remains focused on building toward the 2028 Olympics, with the Africa Sevens Cup in Mauritius (June 21-22) offering the next opportunity to develop emerging talent. The post Currie Cup to get Blitzboks boost? appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
TimesLIVE
06-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Blitzboks' true colours glittered in LA, says coach Snyman
Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman heaped praise on his squad after a commanding weekend of sevens rugby displayed at the HSBC Sevens World Championship in Los Angeles, with the Blitzboks finishing as the only undefeated side and crowned winners on Sunday. Strong performances on day one at Dignity Health Sports Park saw pool victories over France, Great Britain and Argentina, then the Blitzboks outplayed New Zealand in the semifinals and Spain in the final on day two to lift the World Championship trophy for the first time. 'This team delivered an amazing performance over the weekend,' Snyman said. 'The players deserve much credit for the way they played in Los Angeles. We had good parts and bad parts to our season, but this weekend we got it all together and that is a satisfying feeling. Fantastic news for South Africans to wake up to 🏆 The Blitzboks beat Spain 19-5 in Los Angeles to win the final tournament, the SVNS World Championship, of the season 🇿🇦👏 #HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSLAX — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) May 5, 2025 'Any coach will tell you your plan can only be as good as the buy-in from the players and their execution thereof. This weekend it all came together. 'They stuck to our plan, but also played the moments when it was there to exploit. They did exceptional things on the field during this tournament and the credit must go to them. 'Some of those moments of brilliance by the players in the final made this a special win. 'This performance was proof of the potential of this squad. The players executed their roles well, there was a common belief in what is possible and how to achieve that and the result is there for them to enjoy. Quewin Nortje is the speedster on the outside ⚡ He bags the Blitzboks second try in the Cup Semi-Final 🏉 📺 Stream #HSBCSVNSLAX on DStv: — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) May 4, 2025 'This performance completes the puzzle for us and what a beautiful picture we got. This was the true colours of Springbok Sevens and I cannot be prouder of what it represented and displayed this weekend.' The Blitzboks coach reflected on the major moments of the weekend. 'Our defence was great, the attack worked well, while there was this hunger in each player to use this tournament to make up for the disappointing ones we had along the way.' Blitzboks captain Selvyn Davids said the effort during the weekend made him proud. 'The guys left everything out there on the field, we gave it our all,' he said. 'That is an amazing feeling. We fought for each other and we fought for the badge and knowing we achieved that was already a win for me.' Davids said the lesson learnt from this season is consistency is key to everything. 'The consistency we lacked during the year prevented us from reaching our full potential as a team. This tournament we managed to maintain the same level of excellence and that proved gold for us.' Davids, named Player of the Final, said the weekend's performance came via a complete team effort. 'The format of only eight teams was always going to be demanding, but we managed to stay in the moment in each game. We had dark spots during matches, but every time someone did something special to make that disappear. 'Everyone focused on the next job and got it done. I am so proud of this.'
The Citizen
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
OPINION: Blitzboks still a quality outfit, but they need to be more consistent
Philip Snyman's team again rose to the occasion in a big tournament, winning the World Championship at the weekend. The Blitzboks sing the national anthem ahead of the final against Spain at the World Championship in LA last Sunday. Picture: David van der Sandt/Gallo Images All's well that ends well. That's surely what the Blitzboks players and their coach Philip Snyman must be thinking following their victory in the 'winner-takes-all' grand finale of the Sevens season in Los Angeles at the weekend. The SA Sevens team pulled off a remarkable victory to bag the World Championship title for the 2024/25 season, after experiencing a rather disappointing regular season. They beat Spain in the final in LA on Sunday, after earlier beating New Zealand in the semi-finals. In pool play on Saturday, they beat France, Great Britain and Argentina, all teams who have given the Blitzboks troubles in the last few years. The only other highlight for Snyman and Co over the season was their victory at their home tournament in Cape Town in December. While they were tournament runners-up in Vancouver not too long ago, the other four tournaments they played in ended disappointingly. In the opener in Dubai late last year they finished sixth, in Perth they were third place playoff runners-up, while in Hong Kong and Singapore, the two last tournaments before the Los Angeles 'grand finale' they delivered their worst performances of the season, finishing ninth on each occasion. Lack of consistency That they managed to turn things around so quickly shows just how fast things can change in sport, and especially in the Sevens game. The reality is the Blitzboks team are a quality outfit with very strong players, but things can unravel quickly in a game and in a tournament. And that's what's happened to the SA team in the last few years … they've played excellently in parts, but then been poor in many matches as well. The lack of consistency has hurt them, but as they showed in winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics last year, after qualifying through the back door, and now winning in LA, this Blitzboks team should not be written off. They seem to thrive under pressure, when the moment demands a strong performance, and that bodes well for the future. Let's hope this victory will spur them on and they can push hard for the World Cup title next year.
The Citizen
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Snyman: Blitzboks' true colours glittered in LA
The SA Sevens team went unbeaten in the series finale, winning all five matches in Los Angeles. Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman said his 'team delivered an amazing performance' in winning the Sevens World Championship in Los Angeles on Sunday. After an up-and-down season in which the SA Sevens team won only one tournament — their home event in Cape Town in December — they put it all together in the season finale to bag the biggest trophy of the season. Snyman's men went unbeaten in LA, winning all three pool games and then also defeated New Zealand and Spain in the semi-finals and final respectively to win the title. 'Players deserve so much credit' 'This team delivered an amazing performance over the weekend,' said Snyman. 'The players deserve so much credit for the way they played here in Los Angeles. We had some good parts and some bad parts to our season, but this weekend we got it all together and that is a very satisfying feeling. 'Any coach will tell you that your plan can only be as good as the buy-in from the players and then their execution thereof. This weekend it all came together. 'They really stuck to our plan, but also importantly, played the moments when it was there to exploit. They did some exceptional things on the field during this tournament and all the credit must go to them. 'Some of those moments of brilliance by the players in the final made this a special win.' Potential of squad Snyman said the weekend proved that the Blitzboks are back to where they should be: 'This performance was proof of the potential of this squad. The players executed their roles so well, there was a common belief in what is possible and how to achieve that and the result is there for them to enjoy now. 'This performance finally completes the puzzle for us, and what a beautiful picture we got. This was the true colours of Springbok Sevens and I cannot be prouder of what it represented and displayed this weekend.' The Blitzbok coach also reflected on the big moments of the weekend and said they 'were up for it'. 'Our defence was great, the attack worked so well, while there was this hunger in each player to use this tournament to make up for the disappointing ones we had along the way,' he said. Consistency Blitzbok captain Selvyn Davids said the effort during the weekend made him very proud. 'The guys left everything out there on the field, we gave it our all,' he said. 'That is just an amazing feeling. We fought for each other, and we fought for the badge and knowing that we achieved that was already a win for me.' The one lesson learned from this season is that consistency is key to everything, according to Davids: 'The consistency we lacked during the year prevented us from reaching our full potential as a team. This tournament we managed to maintain the same level of excellence and that proved gold for us.' The squad will arrive back in South Africa on Tuesday.
Eyewitness News
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Unbeaten Blitzboks book semi-final spot in LA
JOHANNESBURG – The Blitzboks qualified for the playoffs of the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles with victories over France, Great Britain and Argentina in pool A. In the semi-finals, they face New Zealand, who tied with Australia on seven points in Pool B but advanced due to superior points difference. READ: Blitzboks hope to finish season on a high note as they head to SVNS World Championship The Blitzboks' semi-final against New Zealand is at 22h46 (SA time) on Sunday evening, shortly after Spain and Argentina face off at 22h24 for a place in the final. Philip Snyman's charges kicked off the tournament at Dignity Health Sports Park with a 19-10 win against France, followed by wins against Great Britain (12-7) and SVNS league winners Argentina (29-21) on day 1 of the tournament. Scorers: South Africa 19 (7) France 10 (10)SA - Tries: Selwyn Davids, Shilton van Wyk, Zain Davids. Conversions: Ronald Brown, Ricardo Duarttee. France - Tries: Varian Pasquet, Simon Désert.
