Proud Snyman praises Blitzboks for Perth rebound

Philip Snyman praised the Springbok Sevens squad for their effort and belief as they claimed the HSBC SVNS Perth title on Sunday, with a close, but well-deserved victory over Fiji at HBF Park.

The 21-19 win in the final was a convincing rebound after last weekend’s fourth place in Singapore and kept the Blitzboks’ HSBC SVNS title dreams alive, as they will travel to the last leg of the series – next month in Vancouver and Los Angeles – only four log points behind Fiji, who are top of the standings.

“It was massive for us to finish the tour like this,” said Snyman, the team’s head coach.

“We brought a couple of youngsters with us on tour, made a semi-final in Singapore and won in Perth, so the results were great and on top of that, we have given more players the experience and exposure on the circuit. So overall, I am very happy and proud.”

While Luan Giliomee and Renaldo Young earned their first Blitzbok caps in Singapore and Perth respectively, Snyman also mentioned Sebastiaan Jobb, who returned the squad after more than a year.

“We talk about competitive excellence and Jobb is a good example of that,” said Snyman.

“He brought a lot of energy and scored some crucial tries for us, while also making important tackles and turnovers. If we can have three players in each position pushing each other, we will be in a good space.

“We had Impi Visser, Dewald Human, Ronald Brown, Selvyn Davids, Quewin Nortje and Gino Cupido either resting or recovering from injury back home, so we needed the younger players to get this experience and all will be better because of it.”

The Blitzbok coach was proud that the issues that hampered their performances in Singapore a week ago and were addressed upon arrival in Perth, were eliminated, something he credited the players for.

“We had to keep the ball for longer, we needed to improve our strike rate in the oppositions 22 and we needed to create pressure points on defence, forcing turnovers and then striking,” he said.

“We did all of those this weekend, so I am happy we could turn it around and played with much more control and precision.”

Snyman said the victory in the final came down to composure, gritty defence and good discipline: “In both our last two defeats, in Singapore and yesterday in the pool, we had two players in the sin bin and that was just not going to help us in a tight match against an attacking team like Fiji.

“In the final though, we kept our composure and kept the pressure up. They did come back after we scored two early tries, but the players stuck to their guns and the bench also made the necessary impact to keep them out for three minutes. That was a special performance, and everyone can be very proud of that effort.

“Our aim for the series is to be consistent and make semi-finals. We won two tournaments and made one semi-final, so we are on track with that objective.

“That said, hard work awaits once we get back home to make sure we keep up those standards. It was a good trip and we are thankful for all the support we received from the crowds and well as the supporters back home.”

New Zealand beat Australia in the showpiece match for a third time this season to claim a four-point lead in the HSBC SVNS Series league table as they added the Perth title to their Dubai and Singapore crowns.

Despite the 29-7 scoreline, their final victory was not as dominant as their win last week in Singapore, as defending champions Australia put up a fight but two tries either side of the break for Player of the Final Kelsey Teneti handed the Black Ferns Sevens an advantage they were never going to give up.

An emotional Teneti told Rugbypass TV pitchside immediately after the final: “It’s more than just a game. We carry our wahine and our country on our shoulders, so to go back-to-back really means a lot. “We know Australia are an amazing team. It can go either way but we just tried to the basics right. We’re literally just sisters!”

Captain Risi Pouri-Lane said: “We’ve been coming here three years now and had some heartbreaks over those years. To still turn up even when it’s hard, even when you’re hurting, even when it’s been a long tour. I’m really proud of the girls.”

And Stacey Waaka added: “It’s been three years in the making for this win, so we’re stoked to finally get this one. It’s been an awesome tournament because we have lots of family in the crowd, so we treat it like it’s our home crowd. We’re just really proud of the girls and their efforts to pull through, (they’re) such a young team. I’ll be a part of that ‘youngness’ too, even though I'm one of the older ones!”

France, meanwhile, beat USA in a hard-fought bronze final, Hawa Tounkara’s late try enough to seal the victory at the end of a lung-busting second half.

In the men’s tournament South Africa toughed out an intense and hard-fought final against Singapore champions to claim a first Australian title in more than a decade to add to the Cape Town crown they won in early December.

After streaking into an early lead, the Blitzboks were pegged back before Player of the Final Ryan Oosthuizen muscled his way through three defenders to the tryline for the decisive score.

“(I’m) very happy with our performance,” he said immediately after the final. “Fiji is always a battle, and today definitely delivered. I’m super-proud of my team. We fought for one another and that’s the Blitzbok standard we set for each other.”

Looking back on his crucial second touchdown, he added: “I’m always very happy to make an impact and luckily for me it worked out. I’m not the fastest guy so sometimes I need to run over people!”

South Africa’s captain Siviwe Soyizwapi added: “We worked so hard to replicate what we did in Cape Town. We lost a few key figures in our team in crucial positions — and so the youngsters had to step up.

“It took a week for them to play at their full potential, to get their confidence and play out of their socks, so coming into Perth, I think they hit the sweet spot and we’re really happy with how far they’ve come and how well the team just grew over each game that we played together. Getting the win is just a cherry on top.”

Earlier, Australia claimed third in the first Trans-Tasman encounter of finals day, Josh Turner scoring the crucial try as they came from behind to win a fiery encounter 12-10.

The draw for the next leg of the HSBC SVNS Series in Vancouver took place on the sidelines of the post-tournament celebrations in Perth.

Women’s Dubai, Singapore and Perth champions New Zealand have been drawn against France, Japan and Great Britain in Pool A in Canada, while Cape Town winners Australia face a stiff challenge against USA, Canada and Fiji in Pool B

In the men’s competition, newly crowned Perth champions South Africa will play New Zealand, Spain and Great Britain in Pool A. Beaten finalists Fiji, meanwhile, are in a tough Pool B, which features Australia, Argentina and France.

Scores

South Africa 28 (14), Australia 12 (5)

SA – Tries: Shilton van Wyk, Sebastiaan Jobb (2), Ricardo Duarttee. Conversions: Duarttee (4).

Australia – Tries: Henry Hutchison, Ben Dowling. Conversion: Dowling.

South Africa 21 (14), Fiji 19 (12)

SA – Tries: Ryan Oosthuizen (2), Sebastiaan Jobb. Conversions: Ricardo Duarttee (3).

Fiji – Tries: Viwa Naduvalo, Jeremaia Matana, Terio Veilawa. Conversions: Terio Veilawa, Iowane Teba.

Leading points scorers

29 Ricardo Duarttee

20 Sebastiaan Jobb

Most tries

4 Sebastiaan Jobb

3 Zain Davids

Standings after four rounds

1 Fiji – 70 points

2 South Africa – 66

3 New Zealand – 62

4 France – 54

5 Australia – 54

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

14-15 March: New York

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

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

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