Former Blitzboks Captain Siviwe Soyizwapi Reflects on South Africa's Bronze Triumph at Paris 2024 Olympics

Former Blitzboks captain Siviwe “Shakes” Soyizwaphi reflects on the tough 2023/24 7s season they had to endure which eventually saw the team clinch Bronze at the Paris Summer Olympics. He also shares his personal struggles of having to get back from a serious knee injury last August.

A Season of Struggles and Triumph

Prior to the Olympic Games, the side had yet to qualify via the regular 7s season, and failed to qualify again in Harare to Kenya, eventually qualifying in Monaco through the Repechage Tournament.

“For us, we never really focused on outside noise that was coming in. Throughout the whole season we just wanted to get better performances and improve as a team. Coming into Singapore and Madrid [7s regular season circuits] we started showing that we are getting somewhere and what we can do,” Soyizwapi told SportsBoom.com. 

“The Monaco tournament where we had to play the qualifiers was not a peak but it just showed we were on the right track.”

The Road to Paris 2024

South Africa was ranked 12th heading into the Olympics and had some stiff competition in their pool with the likes of Ireland and New Zealand, losing both fixtures and eventually beating New Zealand in the quarterfinals, losing to the host nation France in the semifinals and beating Australia to claim the Bronze medals.

“Just in terms of the character of this team, a lot can be said about these boys. Everyone knows the tough season we had, it’s up and down.” he added. 

Image Credits: SA Ruby Magazine

The Future of Rugby 7s and 15s Crossover

World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin expressed his desire to allow players to play 7s and 15s within a rugby calendar year. A notable player who played for his national sides was Antoine Dupont who featured at last year’s Rugby World Cup, played for his rugby club Toulouse and still featured for the 7s national team in the same calendar year.

“Can we create a view of the calendar that allows a player like Dupont… to say, ’Right, I’m going to play a year of 15s, but I’m going to pick these moments to build to Olympic Games and sevens because it’s the stage, it’s the platform that I otherwise wouldn’t have’?” queried Gilpin to AFP.

“When we rewind to the Rugby World Cup here last year, the South Africans had six players in their squad that had played sevens. So they’ve found a way to make that pathway work,” said Gilpin.

Soyizwaphi gave his views on having 15s and 7s player crossover following the success France had in the Olympics with the inclusion of Dupont.

“The game of 7s is open to everyone, Antoine is a great example. An achievement he wanted to add to his resume, even though it’s a different type of game to 15s which is challenging and if you can conquer the challenge, then it’s definitely something you can pursue.”

Resilience of the Group

The season overall has produced a mixed bag of emotions, with inconsistent performances which saw a coaching group restructure midway through the regular 7s season and the team battling to qualify for the Olympics.

“It was a rollercoaster of a season, the challenges, new coaching staff, injuries and different combinations in different tournaments. It was a lot that was happening behind the scenes as well. We fell short in Harare to qualify for the Olympics, that was almost like a stumbling block for us we had to overcome. Again, the resilience and character of this group and just really happy to top off the season the way we did.”

Resilience of the Group

The season overall has produced a mixed bag of emotions, with inconsistent performances which saw a coaching group restructure midway through the regular 7s season and the team battling to qualify for the Olympics.

“It was a rollercoaster of a season, the challenges, new coaching staff, injuries and different combinations in different tournaments. It was a lot that was happening behind the scenes as well. We fell short in Harare to qualify for the Olympics, that was almost like a stumbling block for us we had to overcome. Again, the resilience and character of this group and just really happy to top off the season the way we did.”