Blitzboks go back to zero in Spain – Cupido

Fair to say success tends to follow Springbok Sevens outside back Gino Cupido and where top-class rugby has been played on the global stage in 2025 and 2026, he has left a footprint.

Looking at tournaments and competitions won, the 20-year-old from Sir Lowry’s Pass Village near Somerset West has already secured some pretty impressive medals in global competitions, including the World Junior Championship with the Junior Springboks (in Italy in 2025) and the HSBC SVNS Series, where the South Africans claimed tournament wins in Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver and New York in the 2025/26 season.

It was clear when he scored with his first touch of the ball on debut – last season in Hong Kong – that a special career is unfolding and it was no surprise that the Blitzboks won both the North American tournaments Cupido played in the 2026 series.

Now, in only his fourth outing for the Blitzboks, Cupido is ready to again help his team push for glory.

“It is great to be back, especially as I was cleared a bit earlier than originally planned and to be part of the World Championship is great,” said Cupido from Valladolid, following an eventful trip to the Spanish city.

“I did not play in the once-off tournament in Los Angeles last year and I missed out last month in Hong Kong, but now I am so grateful to be part of the squad for the final two events.”

The Blitzboks were delayed in Amsterdam because of a flat airplane tyre and a rough landing but Cupido sees that as part of the journey.

“The three-hour trip from Madrid was also long but it all was worth it, as we are the privileged ones to be here,” he said. “I know how some of the squad back home would swop places any day, so we count our blessings being on tour and part of such an amazing group.”

It made the rehabilitation process worth it, Cupido reflected: “Yes, the timing of my injuries this year was not great, as I also missed the win in Cape Town and the special one in Hong Kong but one thing about this squad, our wins are literally for everyone involved, whether we are part of the squad or back home.

“Rehab can be lonely but knowing that you are building your body to come back to this team makes it worth the while.”

The squad will have a training session late afternoon, but it will not – as per Spanish custom – be a lazy siesta.

“We have some work to do, you can never rest on your laurels and this team always get back to zero, something we will do again,” said Cupido. “There is a target on our backs and every team wants to beat us, so there will be no time to fool around.”

South Africa’s Pool A fixtures (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport)

Friday

12.34pm v Great Britain

5.08pm v Kenya

Saturday

1.23pm v Australia

Springbok Sevens squad (with HSBC SVNS stats)

#2 Ryan Oosthuizen - 63 tournaments, 285 points (57 tries)

#3 Impi Visser (captain) - 51 tournaments, 240 points (48 tries)

#4 Zain Davids - 58 tournaments, 255 points (51 tries)

#5 Ricardo Duarttee - 23 tournaments, 372 points (25 tries, 121 conversions, 1 penalty)

#8 Selvyn Davids - 47 tournaments, 793 points (107 tries, 129 conversions, 1 penalty)

#10 Dewald Human - 33 tournaments, 330 points (30 tries, 90 conversions)

#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi - 65 tournaments, 805 points (161 tries)

#12 Shilton van Wyk - 33 tournaments, 370 points (74 tries)

#14 Quewin Nortje - 13 tournaments, 165 points (33 tries)

#16 Sebastiaan Jobb - 9 tournaments, 80 points (16 tries)

#19 David Brits - 16 tournaments, 60 points (12 tries)

#24 Tristan Leyds - 18 tournaments, 236 points (30 tries, 43 conversions)

#31 Jayden Nell -2 tournaments, 0 points

#35 Gino Cupido - 3 tournaments, 30 points (6 tries)

2026 HSBC SVNS schedule

29-30 November: Dubai - NZL/NZL

6-7 December: Cape Town - SA/AUS

31 January-1 February: Singapore - FIJI/NZL

7-8 February: Perth - SA/NZL

7-8 March: Vancouver - SA/NZL

14-15 March: New York - SA/NZL

17-19 April: Hong Kong (World Championship Series, Round 1) - SA/NZL

29-31 May: Valladolid (World Championship Series, Round 2)

5-7 June: Bordeaux (World Championship Series, Round 3)