By Lucky Maree
After Argentina beat Fiji in the quarter-finals in Vancouver, Argentinian coach Santiago Gomez Cora was complimented on the improvement of his team in the last year. He replies: “It’s taken seven years for us to be where we are right now.”
To suggest that South Africa must start working on a South African team now so they can once again be a world championship-winning side in seven years seems like a very long time.
However, to suggest that they must now start building a team that can compete in the Olympics in 2024 doesn’t seem that far in the future.
Where South Africa stands right now, preparing to play in the 13th place semi-final against Canada later on Sunday night, the right way for them to get their mojo back is to acknowledge that they are now at the lowest point they have been since the Olympics in Japan in July 2021.
Sevens lovers will remember how the Blitzboks literally dropped the ball to hand Argentina the win in the quarter-final match. That was South Africa’s best chance to bring at least a bronze Olympic medal, even a gold medal, home to South Africa.
If Vancouver 2023 is the lowest point since Tokyo 2021 for Sevens rugby it might be the right time for the South African rugby structures, on the national level, to start working on winning gold at the Olympics.
Over the last two weeks (including Los Angeles last weekend) it has been painful to watch the Blitzboks stagger from one match to the other, seemingly putting in worse performances every time they took to the field.
They still have to play Canada in the hope of winning 13th place, but to be honest, that seems just a little academic right now.
They go to Hong Kong in four weeks. Let’s hope some signs of a rebuild will appear by then.
This weekend’s results
Friday
Blitzboks (3 tries) 19-19 (3 tries) France
Blitzboks (6 tries) 40-12 (2 tries) Japan
Saturday
Blitzboks (0 tries) 0-12 (2 tries) Argentina
Blitzboks (2 tries) 12-17 (3 tries) Kenya
Coming on Sunday evening
Blitzboks v Canada (7.22pm)
Pictured above: Sandile Ngcobo
Image source: @blitzboks
