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Blitzboks welcome back game-breaking trio for SVNS World Championship
By Finn Morton
Coach Philip Snyman is confident the Blitzboks can go toe-to-toe with the world’s best as they chase a semi-final berth and more at the upcoming HSBC SVNS Series World Championship which will be held at Los Angeles’s Dignity Health Sports Park on May 3-4.
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South Africa haven’t won the SVNS Series since 2021 but a strong campaign in 2024/25 has given fans hope ahead of the winner-takes-all event this weekend. The Blitzboks have been boosted by the return of a talented trio, who join an already star-studded squad.
Quewin Nortje, who is the team’s leading try-scorer this season, is back after missing the stop in Singapore earlier this month. Two-time SVNS Series champions Ronald Brown and Mfundo Ndhlovu will also suit up in the green and gold jersey.
LA’s Dignity Health Sports Park will host the World Championship and SVNS Series playoffs on May 3-4. Don’t miss out – buy your tickets HERE.
Brown hasn’t played for South Africa since the tournament at Vancouver’s BC Place earlier this year, while Ndhlovu returns for the first time since the Blitzboks took out a drought-breaking title on home soil in Cape Town last December.
Donavan Don, Dewald Human and Sebastiaan Jobb drop out of the squad.
“Donovan and Dewald picked up injuries in Singapore and Sebastiaan is still suspended following the red card in Singapore,” Snyman explained in a statement.
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“It is great to have those three back, as they all have game-breaking abilities. Quewin’s pace and finishing ability out wide is very valuable, while Mfundo’s physicality in the midfield gives us more options on how we want to attack.
“He runs great short lines, which can set up rucks in the midfield, situations where Ronald’s pace off the mark can punish opponents. But individuals aside, it will be a team effort that will bring success or not.”
South Africa finished fourth on the standings at the end of the regular season, with Argentina, Fiji and Spain ranked above them. Argentina’s Los Pumas Sevens were crowned League Winners for the second season in a row, but the overall title is up for grabs in LA.
The Blitzboks have been drawn into an incredibly tough pool, which includes Argentina and last season’s overall Series champions France. Great Britain have also shown tremendous signs of improvement in the backend of the round-robin.
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At the World Championship, only the top two sides from each of the two pools remain in the race for the overall Series crown. Every minute of each match will be crucial as the dreams of these sevens stars will either be realised or dashed for another season.
“This format, with only eight teams competing in two pools, is challenging,” Snyman added. “But we have beaten France, Great Britain and Argentina before this year, so I am confident that we will progress to the semi-finals on day two.
“We had a poor match in our last outing against Great Britain, France remains a very competitive team and Argentina have just won the Series, so it will be really challenging.
“Our record in one-off tournaments has been good though and I know we leave Cape Town on Sunday well prepared and determined to finish the season with a performance that everyone can be proud of.”
Blitzboks squad for SVNS Series World Championship
#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 55 tournaments, 230 points (46 tries)
#3 Impi Visser – 45 tournaments, 225 points (45 tries)
#4 Zain Davids – 52 tournaments, 235 points (47 tries)
#5 Ricardo Duarttee – 18 tournaments, 287 points (22 tries, 87 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#7 Ronald Brown – 19 tournaments, 408 points (42 tries, 99 conversions)
#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) – 41 tournaments, 728 points (95 tries, 124 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 59 tournaments, 790 points (158 tries)
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 26 tournaments, 240 points (48 tries)
#13 Mfundo Ndhlovu – 18 tournaments, 120 points (24 tries)
#14 Quewin Nortje – 11 tournaments, 145 points (29 tries)
#19 David Brits – 8 tournaments, 40 points (8 tries)
#21 Zander Reynders – 5 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)
#24 Tristan Leyds – 10 tournaments, 130 points (16 tries, 25 conversions)
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Men’s pools for SVNS Series World Championship
Pool A: Argentina, South Africa, France, Great Britain
Pool B: Fiji, Spain, Australia, New Zealand
Women’s pools for SVNS Series World Championship
Pool A: New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Great Britain
Pool B: Australia, France, USA, Fiji