RUGBY SEVENS: ANALYSIS: After comeback for the ages, the Blitzboks still have work to do By Jonah Dylan
Down by a seemingly insurmountable 19-point deficit after seven minutes, South Africa could’ve settled for a second-place finish at the Singapore Sevens on Sunday 14 April. The Blitzboks had already beaten the first-placed United States Eagles to make the final on Sunday and with only two more series events, were close to securing a berth in the 2020 Olympic Games, where the sport will be contested for just the second time.
Inconsistency has been a major problem for the Blitzboks, who’ve battled injuries to key players throughout the series. South Africa has finished in the top four in only half of the eight events so far, even though two of those have ended with wins. Juxtapose that with the US, which only has one win in the series, but has never finished outside the top four.
If the Blitzboks fall out of the top four, they’ll still have multiple chances to be part of the 12-team field in Tokyo. One team will advance from the Africa Sevens tournament in July, and if they don’t qualify there, they could have one final chance in a final qualification tournament in June 2020.
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