A packed Cape Town Stadium and a sell-out crowd do give them extra legs and the Blitzboks are determined to reward the South African faithful with a commanding performance at the forthcoming HSBC Cape Town Sevens this weekend.
According to the Springbok Sevens captain, Philip Snyman, the team loves playing at home, but as they saw last year, it does not guarantee tournament win.
The 48-tournament veteran joined the other 15 team captains on the roof of the Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday for a unique captains’ photograph and admitted afterwards that the nerves were starting to tingle.
“When we entered the stadium I felt some nervous energy and remembered our performances from last year,” said Snyman.
“We won five matches in a row thanks to some fantastic crowd support and then lost the final, the one that mattered, to England.
“That was much to the disappointment not only of ourselves, but the huge crowd as well. Although we are not looking back, those memories will make us more determined to go all the way.”
The Blitzboks love playing in front of their supporters, but Snyman believes the pressure will be a positive one.
“We start every tournament at zero, as we do with this one. We are not putting any pressure on ourselves, in fact, we will be going out there to enjoy this one,” said Snyman.
“We have faith in our structures and we know they work if implemented correctly. If we can do that this weekend and have a smile on our faces, it will be a good tournament.”
