The Springbok Sevens team gathered in Cape Town on Tuesday in preparation for the HSBC SVNS Cape Town tournament, but the squad will be without key player Ryan Oosthuizen, who suffered a concussion during last weekend’s Dubai tournament, Cape {town] Etc reports.
As a result, Oosthuizen will miss this weekend’s showpiece at DHL Stadium.
Blitzboks Head Coach Philip Snyman has yet to announce the replacement for Oosthuizen, a veteran of 51 World Series tournaments, but he confirmed that four players have been added to the squad for the upcoming tournament. Mfundo Ndhlovu, Gino Cupido, Rowan Malgas and Zander Reynders, all members of the Springbok Sevens ‘A’ squad who triumphed at the Shogun tournament in Dubai, will join the group as they prepare for the weekend.
Oosthuizen’s absence, along with injuries to key players Selvyn Davids and Ronald Brown, creates additional pressure for the squad. However, experienced Blitzbok Dewald Human, who was part of the team in Dubai, remains ready to step up once again.
Human, a seasoned playmaker with eight World Series titles under his belt, expressed his determination to help his team succeed on home soil. Having played in 27 HSBC SVNS tournaments, the 29-year-old sees a victory in Cape Town as the ultimate achievement in his career.
‘I know people might look at the Dubai results from last weekend and think we have no chance to win for the first time since 2015 and that is fair,’ said Human. ‘We did make unforced errors in Dubai, but that was not how it was supposed to happen and something we can rectify.’
He believes that not winning in Dubai might actually work in their favour this year, as the added pressure of coming into Cape Town as defending champions has often hindered their performance in the past. ‘For the last five times we came to Cape Town having won in Dubai, and that added to the already big pressure that you find for the hosting nation. The expectations have just become so much over the years.’
Human, who has previously captained the Blitzboks in Hong Kong, understands the pressures of competing on home turf. ‘The pressure is not coming with us from Dubai, so we can focus squarely on getting the job done at home. We have not used the amazing support we get from this Cape Town crowd to our benefit and will be looking to change that this year.’
This weekend will mark Human’s third appearance at DHL Stadium. Reflecting on his past experiences, he noted, ‘In 2019, in my first year playing in Cape Town, we lost to Fiji in the semis, and last year we got knocked out in the quarters, but still the crowd stayed on our side.’
He emphasised the youthful energy of this year’s squad, which is undergoing some rebuilding, and reassured fans of the team’s commitment to delivering a strong performance. ‘This year, the squad is younger with some rebuilding taking place, but what I can tell all the supporters is that this team has that drive and desire to make everyone proud and to bring honour to the jersey.’
Human also made it clear that the team will never give up: ‘This Blitzbok team will never surrender, there are real fighters in this squad, from coach Philip to the least experienced players. We are all determined to do well this weekend, and I believe it will show.’
The Blitzboks will face Ireland and Argentina in their group stage, and Human believes the tournament’s new format will add pressure on all teams. However, he remains confident that the support of the home crowd will be a significant advantage.
‘But unlike the other sides, we have this great crowd to lift us when we are under pressure,’ said Human. ‘We would love nothing more to see people coming out to support us this weekend, and if we can reward them with a win, so much better.’
Tickets for the event, priced from only R250, are available through Ticketmaster.
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Picture: Ashley Vlotman / Gallo Images
