Van Wyk: Blitzboks can beat anyone

Shilton van Wyk says consistency is key for the Blitzboks in the season-ending SVNS World Championship this weekend.

South Africa finished fourth on the Sevens Series standings after a campaign that saw them win their home tournament in Cape Town, reach the final in Vancouver and finish fourth in Perth but disappoint in Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Van Wyk believes the Blitzboks have what it takes to triumph in the eight-team finale in Los Angeles.

“We know we can beat any team and we showed that, even in our most recent outing in Singapore, where we managed a win over [series winners] Argentina despite not playing at our best,” said the speedster from Saldanha Bay.

“That was the frustrating part of it, when we let ourselves down in matches, but we have arrived here in Los Angeles determined to finish strong.”

The 25-year-old said the Blitzboks had achieved several of their goals for the season.

“A top-four finish was one, compared to the seventh place from the previous season, while we wanted to play in semi-finals at each of the events. We did so in three of the six, so that was not too bad, especially if you consider the win in Cape Town as well. But a win here in the USA will be even better reward.”

The Blitzbok midfielder had some strong tournaments, but said it was not a perfect season for him.

“I wanted to play in the all the events, that was my the first objective, and I am pleased that the coaches had enough faith in me to do that.

“Having said that, it was not as much of what I wanted to get out of the season, but rather the team’s goals and how I could contribute towards that. The inconsistency at times showed that we were not always on song as a team, so that is something we are looking at improving this weekend.

“The focus this weekend is on us as a team. Each individual knows what to do in the team set-up and the focus will be to execute that role to perfection. That will be the first objective and if we achieve that, the rest will fall in place and we will be a dangerous opponent.”

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Van Wyk compared the Dignity Health Sports Park pitch to that of Cape Town Stadium, which suits the sevens game.

“We don’t get the crowds [in LA] we got in Cape Town, but there is a strong group of Blitzboks supporters that have attended over the last couple of years,” he said.

“We did not do great in recent years at the venue, but the support was awesome and we want to thank those spectators too with a strong performance on the weekend. They deserve a proper Blitzboks performance.”

Blitzboks’ pool fixtures:
Saturday, 3 May
vs France (9:12pm)
Sunday, 4 May
vs Great Britain (12:13am)
vs Argentina (3:46am)

Photo: Will Russell/Getty Images