Impi Visser Blitzboks co-captain Impi Visser competes against a Kenyan player during at last weekend’s Hong Kong Sevens. Photo: World Rugby
Image: Zach Franzen World Rugby
As one of the leaders in the Springbok Sevens team, Impi Visser constantly wonders what went wrong and how they can fix things when the team do not deliver in the World Rugby SVNS Series.
Last weekend’s hot-and-cold performance in Hong Kong, where they ended ninth overall, brought more questions than answers for the Blitzboks, but they will look to rectify it at the Singapore Sevens on Saturday and Sunday.
It’s the final tournament of the regular season, where the league winners will be crowned.
Although the South Africans are out of the running to win the title after the slip-up in Hong Kong, they can still have a say in who takes the overall crown.
They’ve been handed a tough draw, with Great Britain and defending champions Argentina waiting on Saturday.
But should they beat the South Americans and progress to the cup playoffs, they’ll open the door for Fiji or Spain to snatch the title this year.
Only the top teams from the four pools will go straight to the semi-finals on Sunday. There will be no quarter-finals, so every match matters this weekend.
“We are here, and we mean business,” Visser said on Wednesday ahead of the weekend’s games.
“Especially after a disappointing weekend in Hong Kong... We fired hot and very cold, and we have a lot of work to do.
“It’s time to get stuck in and down to business. As one of the leaders, you always wonder where we can get better – what went wrong, what we need to work on, and if we need to change things.
“Those things constantly run through your mind.
“But once we analysed our footage, we saw it is minor things we need to fix. Small mistakes.
“We didn’t play towards our strengths and the systems we’ve put in place. It was a little disappointing, but we have a weekend to fix that.”
They’ll face Great Britain in the first pool match on Saturday (7.26am), and according to Visser, it’s important not to look too far ahead.
Yes, the big match will be against the Argentinians (10.44am), and that will likely determine who will go through.
But if the Blitzboks do not start well against Britain, they’ll have a difficult task ahead.
David Brits and Sebastiaan Jobb were brought in as replacements, and their versatility should add a different edge to the South Africans.
“This is sevens rugby; any team can win on the day. You can never count us out,” Visser said.
“One weekend doesn’t define us. It is a bitter pill to swallow not being able to chase for first place in the league after the poor performance. It hurt a little more than expected.
“We can grab some points and gun for that third place... it will be a battle.
”We are building towards Los Angeles to win the Championship. But for now, the focus is on Singapore and taking on that first game.”