There is the potential to make history in Bordeaux this weekend, but the Springbok Sevens know full well that chasing results does not always have the desired effect
Hence, according to Blitzbok captain Impi Visser, a mindset of “team first” will carry them into the final HSBC SVNS World Championship tournament in France this weekend. The action starts on Friday, with pool matches against Great Britain and Kenya.
Visser spoke on the eve of the tournament, where the Blitzboks can achieve a unique double, winning both the HSBC SVNS Series and World Championship in the same season, as well as winning their sixth tournament this season.
The experienced SA captain alluded to the fact that the odd slip-up in a highly competitive season came when the “team first” mindset was neglected, like last weekend in Valladolid.
“It was not the greatest team effort last weekend,” said Visser of their second-place finish in Spain.
“Individually we fought hard, but as a collective, we did not punch hard enough Those lessons were accepted and for this weekend, we want to go out and play without any fear, and stick to the things that make us tick as a team.
“Our slogan of ‘powered by unity’ is spot-on to describe our approach for the weekend.
“Sevens is 90% mental and 10% physical. Everyone is fit and strong, so the difference will be in the mindset. That will determine the success of our weekend.”
As luck would have it, the Blitzboks face Great Britain and Kenya again on the opening day, with both teams demanding the very best out the South Africans in Spain.
“GB will come at us again, like they did last weekend and Kenya always come at us, so we know what to expect from them. We have the skills to beat them, so just the application that we need to get right,” Visser insisted.
There is also the reality of retaining the World Championship status, where South Africa lead Argentina by four points and Australia by eight in the final stretch, but Visser is having none of that: “We are only going to focus on Friday. It will be about having the right frame of mind. We know what we can do, not to look for the results but to follow the process.”
Selected Blitzbok stats:
Most points in the season:
Shilton van Wyk 125
Tristan Leyds 119
Ricardo Duarttee 89
Most tries in the season:
Shilton van Wyk 35
Sebastiaan Jobb 17
Tristan Leyds 15
HSBC SVNS World Championship standings:
1 South Africa – 38 pts
2 Argentina – 34
3 Australia – 30
4 Fiji – 26
5 Spain – 26
6 New Zealand – 26
7 France – 14
8 Kenya – 14
Blitzboks’ Pool A fixtures (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport):
Friday 5 June:
15h06: Great Britain
20h36: Kenya
Saturday 6 June:
11h06: Fiji
Head–to–Head:
Great Britain: Played 17, won 12. Average score: 21–12. Last match: Valladolid 2026 – won 17–12.
Kenya: Played 73, won 64. Average score: 26–10. Last match: Valladolid 2026 – won 14–0.
Fiji: Played 111, won 46. Average score: 16–17. Last match: New York 2026 – won 10–7 (Cup final).
Springbok Sevens squad for HSBC SVNS Bordeaux:
#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 64 tournaments, 290 points (58 tries)
#3 Impi Visser (captain) – 52 tournaments, 245 points (49 tries)
#4 Zain Davids – 59 tournaments, 255 points (51 tries)
#5 Ricardo Duarttee – 24 tournaments, 389 points (26 tries, 127 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#8 Selvyn Davids – 48 tournaments, 793 points (107 tries, 129 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#10 Dewald Human – 33 tournaments, 330 points (30 tries, 90 conversions)
#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 66 tournaments, 805 points (161 tries)
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 34 tournaments, 385 points (77 tries)
#14 Quewin Nortje – 14 tournaments, 170 points (34 tries)
#15 Donavan Don – 15 tournaments, 123 points (23 tries, 4 conversions)
#16 Sebastiaan Jobb – 10 tournaments, 100 points (20 tries)
#19 David Brits – 16 tournaments, 60 points (12 tries)
#24 Tristan Leyds – 19 tournaments, 249 points (31 tries, 47 conversions)
#31 Jayden Nell – 3 tournaments, 5 points (1 try)
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