Blitzboks coach steps aside

Blitzboks head coach Sandile Ngcobo will step aside allowing assistant coach Philip Snyman to take the reins of the beleaguered team.

Snyman will be in the position until the end of July when it is hoped the team would have returned from the Olympic Games in Paris.

The team are yet to secure their place in that event.

Ngcobo, who has returned to the role of Sevens Academy coach, suggested the coaching shake-up.

The team has significantly underperformed since the halcyon days with Neil Powell at the helm.

The Blitzboks, who finished in the top two in 12 of the previous 16 Sevens World Series seasons, are now seventh on the standings after finishing ninth and 11th in the past two events in Vancouver and Los Angeles.

If the team fails to finish in the top eight of the standings it will be required to play in a promotion and relegation series, SA Rugby said.

Ngcobo was promoted from Sevens Academy coach to take over from Powell in September 2022, with Snyman, a former Blitzboks captain, appointed as assistant coach.

“We have a talented and experienced group of Sevens players but they have underperformed since winning the opening event of the world series in Dubai and results have worsened,” said SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer.

“We have yet to qualify for the Olympics and there is a danger the team will not automatically retain its core status on the series. We greatly appreciate the honesty of Sandile’s approach and praise him for placing the team’s needs above his personal ambitions.

“We will continue to invest in his development and believe he has a future in our systems. However, the short-term needs of the team are such that for continuity purposes we have given Philip the task of reviving the team’s fortunes.

“A review of the broader Sevens department’s structure will continue to ensure it is fit for purpose. The Blitzboks have been a shining light for rugby for many seasons and we want to see them on fire again,” said Oberholzer.

In an interview with the Sunday Times last week Ngcobo admitted the team's inconsistency and likened it to the weather in Cape Town.

He conceded the team had too many “sleepy moments”.

“It is just little errors but at that level it is a game of small margins.”

Ngcobo, who made significant changes to the team, admitted the Sevens Series was no place to blood new players.

“It's tough. Usually the guys play four to six tournaments overseas then play for the seniors. They make the errors, get the nerves out and get rid of the 15s habits.

“Now they come straight from 15s and we have to prepare and fast-track them.

“It is challenging but we have quality people and quality athletes. They've made mistakes but did more right than wrong. They are still youngsters.”

The team's next engagement in the series is in Hong Kong from April 5-7.