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'It is a massive honour': South Africa confirm head coach
By Josh Raisey
South Africa Rugby have appointed Phillip Snyman as the new head coach of the Springbok Sevens after guiding the side to an Olympic bronze medal in Paris.
Despite winning the first leg of the HSBC SVNS Series in Dubai last season, South Africa sacked head coach Sandile Ngcobo in March following poor showings in Vancouver and Los Angeles, with his assistant Snyman promoted to the role on an interim basis.
Performances steadily improved under the former Springbok Sevens captain, with sixth-place finishes in Hong Kong, Singapore and the Grand Final in Madrid.
Most importantly, South Africa won the World Rugby Sevens Repechage repechage in June in Monaco, qualifying for the Olympics the following month.
While in Paris, Snyman steered his country to a bronze medal, which included a heroic victory over New Zealand in the quarter finals.
He has now been rewarded with a contract until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“It is a massive honour to be appointed as full-time head coach, a position that demands the best of what the Blitzboks can be and a position I always aspired too when I became a coach,” said Snyman.
“There is a lot of work to be done, despite our recent results. We are still way off being a top three team and we will be working hard to get back to that position.
“I can’t wait to get going and I would like to thank SA Rugby’s leadership for the trust they have placed in me. We have a solid core of players, and I will be looking at ways to strengthen our player base and depth to such an extent that we will be contending for titles and medals regularly.”
SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer added: “The way Philip turned around the fortunes of the Blitzboks in a short time was remarkable and speaks volumes of his abilities as a coach.
“Their performances in Monaco and Paris showed that he can get the Blitzboks back to their former glories and we are pleased to have him on board.
“As a former captain, Philip brings deep institutional knowledge of the Springbok Sevens with him, having played in 62 world series events, two Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments and a Commonwealth Games where the team won gold.
“Philip is also the only person in the game who has won medals as a player and a coach at the Olympics.”
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Latest Comments
Hopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
Go to commentsNot surprised to see Barretts rating. He has always been a solid defender for the ABs but not particularly effective in attack situations.
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