Blitzboks captain Philip Snyman is set to play in his 50th World Rugby Sevens Series tournament at the Sydney event this weekend.

Snyman made his Springbok Sevens debut in 2008 and was part of both squads that won the Sevens Series title in 2008-09 and 2016-17.

But the 30-year-old says that while it is an honour to reach the 50-tournament mark, personal milestones will have to take a backseat in order for the team to reach its objective at the Sydney Sevens.

‘I did not think too much about it, to be honest, my focus was more to go out and hit the pitch with my brothers and to enjoy that. The fact that I can share it with friends and family makes it very rewarding on a personal note,’ said Snyman.

‘We have set goals for ourselves this weekend, though, and it does not matter whether it is your 50th tournament, your first or 10th, you need to go out and contribute equally. We all have a role to play for the team to achieve those goals.

The captain admitted that his team’s defence was not up to scratch during the early stages of the season, but is adamant that aspect of their game will improve.

‘We need to be more clinical, use our opportunities and step up on defence. We really pride ourselves on our defence, but in the last couple of tournaments, we did not perform as well as we can in that regard. If we can stick to those goals, the results will look after itself this weekend,’ he added.

Blitzboks’ Sydney Sevens pool matches (SA times):

Friday
vs Papua New Guinea (09:22)

Saturday
vs Spain (06:03)
vs England (09:14)

Photo: Supplied