The players in the Springbok Sevens ‘A’ side understand that personal goals and team objectives will need to combine if they want positive results at the Rugby Africa Sevens in Mauritius this weekend.
That is the assessment of Mfundo Ndhlovu, the most experienced player in the squad, as they prepare to take on Nigeria, Zambia and Burkina Faso in their Pool B fixtures on Saturday. The tournament will be played at Labourdonnais Sports Club in Port Louis.
Ndhlovu, who made his Blitzbok debut in 2018, is amongst a handful of players in the SA side who also played in last year’s event, when it consisted of two tournaments at the same venue.
“On a personal level, I am looking forward to just playing rugby in a beautiful country and just enjoying and expressing myself,” said Ndhlovu.
“Doing so with a Springbok badge on the chest is even better, but it does add responsibility and commitment to the task, because the commitment to the team comes first.”
As they experienced last year, the South Africans will be the biggest fish to fry for the other teams, but Ndhlovu said they are ready to overcome that: “That Springbok badge makes you a target for sure, but that is fine, we know what is coming in that regard. You don't need to overthink that part, if you stick to the plan and implement the processes, the results will look after itself.”
Ndhlovu is also excited about the new talent in the squad that Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman had assembled.
“They are all talented players, and I can see many of them getting on the circuit and doing well,” he predicted.
Another returnee to the tournament is Sebastiaan Jobb, with the speedster using this event a year ago to remind Snyman that he should feature in his plans for the 2025 season. He laid down a marker by being named Player of the Tournament in both tournaments.
“Yes, that certainly helped me to get my Blitzbok career going again, and that is one of the reasons why I am happy to be back here,” said Jobb.
“The African opponents are going to be a handful; we learned that lesson last year when Uganda outplayed us in both tournaments.”
Jobb was red-carded twice during the 2025 HSBC SVNS season and is eager to implement his adjusted tackle technique this weekend in match conditions: “I have worked hard on that at training, and the coaches worked with me to get that aspect right. Although as a wing, I love to run with the ball in open spaces, defence will be a huge focus for me this weekend.”
Jobb paid a heavy price for his indiscretions when he missed the Grand Finale in Los Angeles due to suspension and missed out on the Blitzboks being crowned World Champions: “It was a huge price to pay, but that is how you learn. I am also trying to improve as an individual as that will benefit the team and make the system better.”
He also had some advice to the new players in the squad: “They have an ideal opportunity here to learn and grow and I believe they will be embracing that, adding to the team effort.”
Pools:
A: Uganda, Kenya, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana
B: South Africa, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Nigeria
C: Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Mauritius
Springbok Sevens ‘A’ pool fixtures – Saturday 21 June (SA times):
08h06: Nigeria
10h50: Zambia
13h34: Burkina Faso
Springbok Sevens ‘A’ squad (with HSBC SVNS stats):
Masande Mtshali – 8 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)
Jayden Nell *
Gideon van Wyk *
Ntshika Fisanti *
Ricardo Duarttee – 19 tournaments, 296 points (23 tries, 89 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
Joubert Schoeman *
Grant de Jager *
Ezekiel Ngobeni *
Rowan Malgas *
Joel Leotlela *
Sebastiaan Jobb – 4 tournaments, 15 points (3 tries)
Mfundo Ndhlovu – 19 tournaments, 125 points (25 tries)
* uncapped