DHL STADIUM – Springbok Sevens speedster Shilton van Wyk revealed that the team is not satisfied with their performance, despite their hard-fought 24–21 victory over Fiji in their opening match of the HSBC SVNS Cape Town tournament at DHL Stadium.
South Africa had to wait until the dying moments to secure the win, with van Wyk crossing the try line late to complete a dramatic comeback against a powerful Fijian outfit.
Van Wyk was the standout performer, scoring three tries for the home side, adding to Christie Grobbelaar’s earlier effort.
The 25-year-old admitted that although the team walked away with a positive result, it was far from their best performance, especially in front of their home supporters.
“We’re not really satisfied with the performance that we put out there now,” said van Wyk. “Because there were some individual errors that we do in defense.
“We gave them two silly tries – but we just have to go back and work on that and make better decisions and better heads in the next game.”
It was Fiji’s Apete Narogo who broke the deadlock just one minute into the match, followed by tries from Viwa Naduvalo and Joseva Talacolo, as the teams headed into the interval with Fiji holding a 14–12 lead.
Van Wyk added that securing a win in their opening match of the tournament was crucial for the team’s confidence and momentum.
Philip Snyman’s charges will next face New Zealand at 16h00 on Saturday, before closing out day one with a clash against Great Britain at 19h49.
“I think the first game was very important for us as a group and as a team,” he said.
“So from this game, we can just bowl down and go forward in the tournament with a momentum.”
Image: Skhu Nkomphela.
