Philip Snyman didn’t mince his words after watching his Springbok Sevens side blow a golden opportunity to extend their World Championship lead, admitting the Blitzboks were the architects of their own downfall in a pulsating 26-19 HSBC SVNS Valladolid final defeat to Australia on Sunday.

The South Africans’ sixth consecutive final appearance ended in frustration as a sluggish start across the opening two days came back to haunt them when it mattered most. Despite rallying on Sunday, the damage had been done as Australia capitalised on the Blitzboks’ uncharacteristic sloppiness to claim a deserved victory in Spain.

Brutal margins

A controversial TMO decision in the dying moments disallowed what would have been a match-levelling try for South Africa, but Snyman refused to use it as an excuse for the defeat.

“Sevens is brutal and so are the margins sometimes,” said the Blitzboks mentor. “We also had other opportunities which we did not use, that one pass was not the reason we did not win.”

The coach was magnanimous in defeat, acknowledging Australia’s superiority throughout the tournament: “They were deserved winners tonight. They used their opportunities better in the final and deserved the win, they played very good rugby all tournament long.”

Setting standards

For Snyman, the root cause of the loss lay firmly in South Africa’s opening performances, where they failed to establish the intensity and accuracy that has become their trademark.

“You are supposed to set the standard on day one and pick up the momentum from there, but we did not quite do that and in fact struggled on the first two days,” he explained.

“Earlier in the tournament we were not at our best and will have to look at that. We still made it to the final though, as tough as it is to get to that stage of the competition, so from that perspective, I am pleased.”

The veteran coach acknowledged his side produced some excellent rugby on Sunday but emphasised the need for consistency across all three days of competition.

Missed tackles prove costly

Snyman identified two critical areas that undermined the Blitzboks’ title bid, ball retention and defensive lapses.

“We need to look better after our ball,” he stated. “In the final, we missed too many tackles and that got them back into the game. We were just not clinical enough and we needed more possession.”

The defensive fragility proved particularly damaging against an Australian outfit that thrives on quick ball and counterattacking opportunities. Once the Wallabies gained momentum, the Blitzboks struggled to stem the tide.

Sixth final falls short

Whilst reaching six consecutive tournament finals represents a remarkable achievement and underlines South Africa’s status amongst the world’s elite, Snyman was quick to point out that standards must improve.

“Playing in six consecutive finals is great, but this one was not our best, so we need to come back stronger,” he said.

The defeat cuts South Africa’s lead at the top of the HSBC SVNS World Championship standings to just four points, with Argentina breathing down their necks on 34 points. Australia’s victory moved them up to 30 points in third, whilst Fiji, Spain and New Zealand are all locked on 26 points.

Brutal Bordeaux awaits

The Blitzboks have little time to lick their wounds, with the final tournament of the World Championship looming in Bordeaux next weekend. And they couldn’t have drawn a tougher assignment.

Snyman’s charges find themselves in a nightmarish Pool A alongside reigning Olympic champions Fiji, Kenya and Great Britain, a group that promises fireworks from the opening whistle.

Pool B features Australia, Spain, USA and Uruguay, whilst Pool C comprises Argentina, New Zealand, France and Germany.

With the World Championship title still within their grasp but the chasing pack closing in, the Blitzboks cannot afford another slow start in France. The margin for error has evaporated.