Blitzboks Madrid campaign ends in disappointment

The Springbok Sevens challenge at the HSBC SVNS Grand Final in Madrid ended in disappointment as they lost the fifth-place playoff 12-7 to Ireland and also won just one game the entire weekend.

How that bodes for the all important Repechage qualifier in Monaco next month, where the Blitzboks will have a final chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris, is anyone’s bet? But right now the team are on the wrong end of several close games.

After throwing away a 21-7 lead against Ireland on day one and losing 26-21, to going down narrowly to New Zealand in their second game, the team were blown away in their final game by Fiji.

On Sunday they did better, beating Australia in the fifth place semifinals 24-21 in a brave performance that saw tries from Rosko Specman, Ryan Oosthuizen, Quewin Nortje and Siviwe Soyizwape.

But that optimism didn’t hold as the physical Irish were again on top in the final game. Zac Ward, who scored a monster try in Friday’s first game, scored in the first minute and Harry McNulty added a second in the first half.

Despite a late try to Impi Visser at the death, the Blitzboks simply didn’t have the firepower to win the game.