Philip Snyman reacted sharply after the Blitzbokke lost their last two matches in Singapore – against Australia and Argentina – to finish the tournament in sixth place.
Against the Aussies, the South Africans could not complete a good fight back, while they took their foot off the accelerator against the fiery Argentinians.
“We showed in the first five minutes of the game against Argentina that we can dish out clinical play. When we keep possession, we can score threes,” said the temporary national sevens coach.
However, Snyman is unhappy that his team could not plant the knockout blow.
The Blitzbokke let a lead of 10-0 slip through their fingers to eventually lose 14-10.
“You can’t play for five minutes and then lie down – especially when you’re playing against a team like Argentina. They are currently the leading team on the international stage and when you have them up against the boards, you have to be able to plant the knockout.”
The former player didn’t mince words and added that his team struggles when things get hot in the pressure cooker.
“I believe we were good enough to play in the cup semi-final, but it helps a lot to dwell on things all the time. It is time to add action to words on the playing field.”
According to Snyman, the Blitzbokke must find a way to stand strong in pressure situations.
“At the moment we make anxious jumps and then things don’t turn out as they should on the playing field. Our Singapore target was to play in the cup semi-final and we were on course to do that, but we let opportunities slip through our fingers.”
HSBC Seven Points:
- Argentina: 106 points
- Ireland: 104 points
- New Zealand: 93 points
- Australia: 83 points
- Fiji: 80 points
- France: 80 points
- South Africa: 68 points
- Great Britain: 53 points
- USA: 52 points
- Spain: 36 points
- Samoa: 29 points
- Canada: 14 points
