What Have The Players Been Saying At Cape Town SVNS 2023

With the first day and a half of the Cape Town SVNS 2023 completed, we caught up with several players to hear what they think of the new SVNS Series, the competitiveness, as well and the Olympic carrot dangling at the end of the season for many teams.

Feature Photo credit: Mike Lee – KLC fotos for World Rugby

On Playing At The DHL Stadium In Cape Town

Australian captain Charlotte Caslick was on fire in Cape Town, and following her undefeated opening day, she told Rugby Asia 247 about playing in the Mother City. “It’s awesome. It’s a great stadium to play in front of and the crowds are always great here. So we love playing in front of them.”

On why she thinks the squad are playing so well – after winning again in Dubai and looking the team to beat in Cape Town – she added, “ I think it’s just us working really hard for each other. We’re probably a little bit fitter this season as well, so that helps. We just have a real emphasis on getting off the line a little bit faster than what we were last year and not letting teams dictate the terms too much out there.”

Australia captain Charlotte Caslick and Madison Ashby celebrate a try against Ireland on day two of the HSBC SVNS at Cape Town Stadium on 10 December, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. Photo credit: Mike Lee – KLC fotos for World Rugby

Aussie teammate Faith Nathan agreed that the squad’s preseason preparation was crucial. “We came back through early in our preseason. So I’ve been training for about almost four months. We were also travelling a lot during our preseason playing in other countries and we did a lot of back-to-back training days against men. So that’s helped our game and our fitness.

A relieved Fijian Coach Ben Gollings spoke to us after his side came out on top against a defiant French side in their quarterfinal (although they would go on to lose to Australia in the semifinal), “I think we could have made it a lot easier for ourselves, but I’m proud of the way the boys stuck at it. You know, it’s a big one for us,” Gollings said.

The Fijian men were down to ten players, as they lost one to a red card and two more were already injured. The Englishman added, “We want to keep progressing in these tournaments so that was character-building. And if we’re going to learn from it, it’s a test of character.”

Springbok Women’s Sevens coach Renfred Dazel is still confident the South African women’s team will achieve their season goal of finishing in the top eight of the SVNS Series which would secure their place as a core team next season. The SA women lost all of their matches in Cape Town to finish 12th, despite some encouraging performances in Dubai last weekend. The side sustained five injuries in Dubai and the opening day in Cape Town to compound their struggles.

Dazel said, “Last weekend we finished 10th in Dubai and got three bonus points by finishing within seven points of our opponents, but this weekend, we hardly got out of the blocks. That was the disappointing part, but if we look back over the two tournaments, there were enough to build on and that makes me confident that we can be competitive next month in Perth.”

USA team huddle after the game against South Africa on day one of the HSBC SVNS at Cape Town Stadium on 9 December, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. Photo credit: Mike Lee – KLC fotos for World Rugby

Alena Olsen is a key pivot in the USA women’s 7s team and we spoke after her quarterfinal win (although the USA ultimately fell short against Australia in the semifinal). She said, “The weekend has been a lot better than last weekend (in Dubai). We needed to build a lot, after the disappointment in Dubai. It hasn’t all been perfect but this weekend we’ve been trying to find like just find a way to get it done and we’ve been happy we’ve been able to do it today in the quarterfinals.”

The New SVNS Format

Olsen told Rugby Asia 247 about the new season and format, “Every game is important and you want to keep it that way. But you have the added stress on the bonus points and the points differential.”

Gollings confirmed, “It’s tight. We played France in the group and we played them again. I know there’s been a lot of upset in other pools and some nice quarterfinals, so it’s pretty ruthless.”

Blyde was happy with the changes to the new SVNS format. “It brings a different element to the competition. And then also adding in a few more tournaments, is great for the women’s game, because we always seem to have less than the men – so to be equal to them is actually really special. And it gives us that bit of, you know, fairness and equality when it comes to the game of rugby. So we’re very fortunate to have more tournaments and be able to have more opportunities to play rugby across the world.”

She also was confident it provided more to the crowd, adding; “They’re able to watch, you’d have to admit it’s two completely different types of rugby, with the men and the women’s game. So it gives them better excitement and hopefully more people come to watch because there are more teams.

Caslick added, “You have to play for everything because with the bonus points now if you only lose within seven and all of that, which makes it a lot more interesting. And I think for the fans, it’s great. The days are a little bit shorter and easier for them to stay focused and engaged during the day.

The Olympic Dream – Paris 2024 Sevens Rugby

The rugby sevens kicks off the Olympic Games in Paris on 24 July 2024 with several SVNS teams already confirming their qualification, while the details of the final Repechage Tournament will be announced by World Rugby in December 2023 (it was confirmed in Cape Town).

Ben Gollings probably has as much pressure as anyone as his side is the two-time defending champions of the men’s Olympic Gold. “A lot of this is building towards the Olympics. But I think the key really here for us is getting the performances in. We were disappointed with last season in terms of not winning a tournament but we did well in terms of the qualification. We want to get back to winning ways.”

Michaela Blyde is one of the game’s veterans and NZ superstars but still doesn’t take any tournament for granted, and is also targeting the Olympic dream in 2024. “Obviously, the Olympics is our number one goal but the World Series tournaments are just a stepping stone to get to that. We’re not taking the World Series lightly – we’re coming to the World Series to win every tournament. But yeah, obviously our ultimate goal is the Olympics” she said.

New Zealand’s Michaela Blyde races away from the Great Britain defence for a try on day one of the HSBC SVNS at Cape Town Stadium on 9 December, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. Photo credit: Mike Lee – KLC fotos for World Rugby

“We know that every single team are going to bring their best game because they’ve probably got the same goal. So we’ve got to make sure that we’re, you know, 10-20-30 per cent ahead of everyone else. So when it comes to the Olympic Games, we’re in the best condition that we can be in.”

You can follow all of the results from the SVNS here.

Rugby Asia 247 would like to thank The Capetonian Hotel for a wonderful stay in Cape Town while covering the SVNS.

Rugby Sevens News

• South African Sevens Teams Proud To Play At Home.
• HSBC SVNS Cape Town 2023.
• World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 – Leg 1 Dubai Pools.
• Asian Rugby Sevens Teams – 2024 Challenger Series.