Blitzboks have ‘no easy games’ in Vancouver: All the pool fixtures

2026-03-06 - 12:43

Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman said there is a firm belief in the camp that they can maintain their good 2026 form and stay on the right side of each result in their Vancouver series this weekend. Snyman spoke after the team completed their preparations for the tournament, where the Blitzboks will aim to repeat their tournament victory in Perth last month, which was their second win in the four tournaments played in the current series. “We have a strong, experienced squad here in Canada, we prepared well and everyone is rearing to go, so we are hoping for a good weekend,” said Snyman. “That said, our opponents this weekend in pool play, Great Britain, Spain and New Zealand, are all here with the same aim and ambitions. So we will have to be clinical and sharp if we want to claim any victory. There just is no easy game anymore and if you’re off your game, you are in trouble. “Great Britain is improving all the time, we saw them turning over big-name teams in recent tournaments, while Spain, who finished second in last year’s series, have some of their more experienced players back and will be a handful.” Players return for Blitzboks Snyman said the return of some experienced players such as Selvyn Davids, Ronald Brown and Impi Visser will improve their competitive and will offset the inexperience of the uncapped Grant de Jager and Gino Cupido, who is playing in his second tournament. Visser, the 2026 captain, said he is raring to go after being given a break for the Singapore/Perth leg. “The squad is really a strong one and for me, the strongest group we have since the return to competitive rugby after Covid,” Visser said. Blitzboks squad for Vancouver: Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser (capt), Ronald Brown, Selvyn Davids, Dewald Human, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Shilton van Wyk, Sebastiaan Jobb, David Brits, Tristan Leyds, Grant de Jager, Gino Cupido. Sevens Vancouver pools: Pool A: South Africa, New Zealand, Spain, Great Britain Pool B: Fiji, Australia, Argentina, France. Blitzbok pool schedule (SA times, live on SuperSport): Saturday 7 March: 10.03pm: Great Britain Sunday 8 March: 1.51am: Spain 5.40am: New Zealand