The South African Rugby Sevens team endured a challenging opening day at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, losing both their pool matches on Wednesday at the Stade de France.
These defeats place the Blitzboks in a difficult position as they face an uphill battle to remain in medal contention, with one more round of pool play set for Thursday.
In their first match, South Africa suffered a narrow 10-5 defeat to Ireland.
Despite a strong defensive effort, the Blitzboks struggled to gain possession and create attacking opportunities. South Africa’s dogged defense kept Ireland at bay for the first half, with the Irish holding possession for the opening six minutes but unable to break through.
However, just before the halftime buzzer, Irish winger Jordon Conroy managed to score, giving Ireland a 5-0 lead at the break.
The second half saw South Africa with more ball in hand and looking dangerous on attack. However, a yellow card to Ryan Oosthuizen for a high tackle gave Ireland the advantage they needed to score a second try.
Although the Blitzboks managed a late try, they ran out of time to secure a second, resulting in a 10-5 loss.
In their second match against New Zealand, the Blitzboks faced a similar fate. New Zealand’s Moses Leo opened the scoring, but Sevyn Davids quickly leveled the scores. The loss of key player Quewin Nortje early in the half hampered South Africa’s attacking efforts.
New Zealand scored a late try in the first half to take a 10-5 lead and added a converted try in the second half, edging out a brave South African effort to secure a 17-5 victory.
South Africa now needs a decisive win against Japan at 16h00 on Thursday to stay in contention for the quarter-finals. The top two teams from each of the three pools will qualify for the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-place finishers.
To advance, the Blitzboks will not only need a strong performance but will also rely on favorable results from other pool matches.
The team’s defense has been commendable, but their attack has lacked the necessary spark, primarily due to limited possession and field position.
With their medal hopes on the line, the Blitzboks must deliver a standout performance and hope for some luck from other matches.
