'We need to win in the moment': the mantra that inspired Blitzbok success

Philip Snyman has praised the Blitzboks’ ability to “stay in the moment” as they claimed back-to-back Cape Town SVNS titles.

A return to winning ways was just what the doctor ordered. A week before in the HSBC SVNS season opener in Dubai the side finished fifth in an underwhelming weekend in the UAE.

The South Africans had to dig deep to lift silverware. At one stage of their 21-19 win over Argentina at DHL Stadium, Snyman’s team were 12 points adrift of their South American opponents.

“It was incredible,” Snyman told Robert Marawa on 947. “We always knew it was going to be tough going back to back in Cape Town. That was one of the goals we set ourselves.

“I gave a presentation to the guys and said we need to win the moment and for us to win the moment we had to stay in the moment.

“That’s exactly what we did. The players stayed in the moment even though we were behind by 12 points and that last try from Christie Grobelaar, he could have dotted it down in the corner to level the scores, but he did everything he could in the moment to score beneath the posts.”

There is certainly a feel-good factor around rugby in South Africa right now.

Fresh-faced from an unbeaten Quilter Nations Series campaign Rassie Erasmus extended his tenure as Springbok Men’s head coach until 2031.

The Springbok Women enjoyed a landmark quarter-final finish at the Women’s Rugby World Cup. And even before retaining their Cape Town title Snyman’s team had claimed a SVNS World Championship.

Over the years the Blitzboks have been a key part of the country’s elite rugby infrastructure.

In recent years Cheslin Kolbe, Kwagga Smith and Kurt-Lee Arendse have all gone from World Series regulars to fixtures of Erasmus’ team.

With an Olympic Games over two years away Snyman has confirmed that his squad will change over the course of the 2025/26 SVNS season.

Some, like SA Rugby Men’s Sevens Players’ Player of the Year Donovan Don, have already showed that he could be the next cab off the rank when it comes to 15-a-side success.

“That is one of our aims and one of our KPIs in the team, to develop players for Springbok rugby,” Snyman said. “Earlier this year we released a couple of players to the Currie Cup, a guy like Donovan Don played for Boland and had a fantastic Currie Cup. He was the top try scorer.

“There are definitely some bright stars coming through. We just need to keep on working hard and we are consistent in our performance. Once we are consistent it is easy for a guy to go on and play 15s. It is a squad effort. If the team performs the individuals will rise up.”