Part of the last Blitzboks team to win the Cape Town Sevens in 2015, former captain Philip Snyman wants to repeat the feat as a coach this weekend.
As a player, Snyman shared trophy lifts in George, Nelson Mandela Bay and Cape Town, so he is more aware than most of what it means to win in front of adoring spectators, family and friends.
“Yes, we really want to win this, it has been too long,” said the Springbok Sevens assistant coach.
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However, Snyman feels that the added pressure may have been a downfall in the past: “Last weekend’s win (in Dubai) was possible without those spectators, the family and the friends, so it can be done.
“What we realised last week was that if we do the small things right, the results came and if we can focus on that again this weekend, there is no reason why we cannot have the same outcome. We need to focus on those here this weekend, not so much on the crowd,” he added.
For Snyman, the transition of the side that missed five consecutive podium finishes into one that could claim a win for the first time was frustrating to players and fans alike.
“The turn-around was frustrating yes,” he said.
“I wish I could tell you how we felt after the loss to Great Britain in the opening game in Dubai. And how that feeling changed as we started to turn it around against Kenya and then Australia, and getting better and better towards the final.
“We are turning things around now as the players are starting to execute and understand what we want from them. It is great to arrive in Cape Town with good momentum and a chance. We have seen what is possible if we execute, now for a repeat of that routine.”
For the former Blitzboks captain the search for the perfect game continues: “We are searching for that perfect game and in an ideal world, that will come in the final this weekend. We will start at zero again with our mindset, but on the field we laid nice foundations to build on for the weekend’s matches against Canada, Fiji and France in our pool.”
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Photo: Francois Nel/Getty Images
