Zareena Gaibee shares her insights after a day watching the Blitzboks at the Paris Olympics; she shares that there is hope for the team.
Paris, France (25 July 2024) – I am at the Olympics. Over several months ago, I booked some flights and accommodation, did my biometrics and associated paperwork, and now I am in Paris, France, at the Olympics. I met the President of France on day one, and I have been meeting Team South Africa at various SASCOC events. But catching a train towards Stade de France to watch the Men’s Rugby Sevens suddenly makes this all seem real.
The Olympics have started.
The fact that the Blitzboks are at the games was a given in years gone by, but this cycle, it was a struggle. Having been beaten to the regional spot by Kenya, they then also failed to secure qualification via placing in the top four on the circuit (they came seventh out of the 12 core teams). With one last option to qualify, they beat Great Britain (8th on the circuit in the 2023/24 competition) in the Monaco Repechage held in June for the 12th and final spot in the 2024 Olympics.
Some staffing changes, and it looked like the team that struggled all year might be in with a shout. And despite losing to Ireland 10-5 and then to New Zealand 17-5, they are still in contention for a quarter-final spot. With the top two of each of the three groups automatically going through to the quarters, there are two best-of-the-rest spots.
The maths
It is complicated. There are three pools of four teams each. So, in the pool stages, each team plays three games. There are four points awarded per game. The winner gets three points, and the loser just one. However, if there is a draw, the teams get two points each.
Normally, we would assume that the team that tops their pool has won all their games, nine points. The team that comes second has won two games, seven points. The team that comes third has won just one game, five points. Then it comes down to points difference. However, since France and the United States of America drew, the maths gets complicated. But only if the USA beat Uruguay. Because they drew with France, they would have one win (3 points), one draw (2 points), and a loss (1 point). Thus, they would finish with six points, while the other third-place finishers would most likely only have five points.
Then South Africa would need to beat Japan with as much of a buffer as possible and hope that the game between Samoa and Kenya is close enough to not better the winner’s points difference but not so close that it is a draw because… well, see above, please.
But is there a chance?
Yes! They beat the odds to get to the games. This is not fun but arguably familiar territory for them. They also have the best points difference of the current teams in the best-of-the-rest category, which increases their chances.
The question really is, can they do it? After the final game of the day, Coach Philip Snyman said, “If we play the way we can, this team can be a good team. There is a good bunch of players there. We just need to fire as a collective.” There were definitely moments of fire in the games, but they were in isolation. But today (25 July) is another day, and Japan awaits. That game is at 16:00, with hopefully more games to come if they secure a quarter-final spot.
What I learnt today
- The train station is still a 15-minute walk away from the stadium.
- Supporters say that they don’t mind that there is no alcohol in the stadium, but they also say they would prefer alcoholic beer to help things feel a little more festive.
- There is not very much else to do around the stadium: a few games with France Rugby, some food and merchandise stands, charging ports, and an option to see how long you can scream for. I managed a brief 14 seconds, nowhere near the record at the time of 51 seconds.
- Things get technical in the media centre (See the maths section above).
- The stadium was lovely, and it was packed. Mainly when France was playing, but people turned up.
- If you are going to the events, purchase your return ticket in advance if using public transport. Those queues look crazy.
- A mixed zone is an area where athletes and coaches have to pass through after their events. You can request specific people to chat with, and a press attaché will do their best to direct them to you. They do not, however, have to talk to you; fair enough.
- No one really knows where to go. The fourth person I asked where media were to go pointed to the closest entrance and told me to, “Walk in that direction and ask someone.” That was always my game plan and I got there in the end.
- There is something about that stadium that, despite being still reasonably full for the last few games, meant that you could actually hear the players from quite a distance.
- 27,000 steps is more than I wish to take in a day.
- Afrique du Sud are second in line during the opening ceremony. The flags are in protocol order around the top lip of the stadium.
- Fiji have never lost an Olympic Rugby Sevens Men’s game. 14 and counting.
Zareena Gaibee will be on the ground in Paris for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics events, sharing her take on the prestigious sporting event, giving exclusive insights into life at the games, and hopefully meeting many of the South Africans in Paris who are competing and supporting. She will be reporting her findings for Good Things Guy, giving readers a glimpse of what flying the flag in Paris is all about.
You can follow her series via Good Things Guy here.
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