SA Rugby
The Springbok Sevens dodged a first bullet in Hong Kong this weekend, which was an important objective for the team, and according to interim head coach Philip Snyman, their next aim is to rise back into the top four again.
Snyman's assessment came after the Blitzboks finished sixth in the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens tournament, which saw them qualify for the Grand Final of the reimagined HSBC SVNS in Madrid at the end of May.
The Blitzboks picked up enough log points in Hong Kong, where they delivered their third-best finish in the season so far, to remain in the top eight on the overall log and will be part of the winner-takes-all spectacle in Spain.
"It was important for us to stop the slide down the rankings, and I am pleased we could do that," said Snyman.
"We also topped our pool for the first time in a while, which is evidence of the team's improvement from the North American leg."
However, after topping their pool, the Blitzboks were beaten in their last two outings, losing 15-0 to Australia in the quarter-finals on Saturday, and by 33-14 to Fiji earlier on Sunday in the fifth-place play-of
Justin Geduld was suspended for three matches after a dangerous tackle in the opening match against Ireland and Selvyn Davids for a similar offence in the final pool game against Samoa, a match that also brought an end to Ronald Brown's participation after he sustained an ankle injury.
