Rosko Spekman’s primary objective upon rejoining the Blitzboks for Sevens rugby was to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The only Team South Africa Sevens survivor to win an Olympic bronze medal in Rio 2016 is Rosko Spekman.
After shockingly losing 7–5 to Great Britain in the semifinals, the highly anticipated South African team defeated Japan 54–14 in the bronze medal match.
Argentina, the bronze medal winners, easily defeated the Blitzboks in the quarterfinals of the COVID-19-postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, while Fiji defeated New Zealand to win the gold.
After quitting the Blitzboks to fulfill his ambition of playing Test rugby for the green and gold, Spekman made his debut for the Springboks against Georgia in that year.
However, due to injuries, the hot-stepper’s transition to the 15-man game was limited to that one and only cap. Five years after leaving the Sevens to play for the Stormers, Griquas, and Cheetahs, 34-year-old Spekman returned to the team.
His primary goal was the Olympics since he believed his experience would be priceless ahead of a new season. However, things almost didn’t go as expected.
The @Blitzboks hard at work in Stellenbosch ahead of the Olympics. The team departs for Paris later this week. pic.twitter.com/HH0tnB2cca
— IG: johngoliath (@JohnGoliath82) July 15, 2024
At the first World Sevens Series competition in Dubai, which the South Africans triumphed by sweeping all before them, Spekman made his return for the SA Sevens squad. However, as the season went on, things got worse and worse.
The team had to earn an Olympic berth the hard way when coach Sandile Ngcobo resigned towards the end of the campaign.
They had one last chance to compete at the Games at the World Rugby Sevens Repechage tournament in Monaco after being shocked by Kenya in the Africa qualifications final.
After that, the Blitzboks really got going in the Principality, winning every match to secure their spot in Paris with a thrilling victory over Great Britain in the championship match.
After traveling the “gravel road” to Paris, Spekman and the SA Sevens squad can now unwind and concentrate on the Games.
“I have lots of feelings. There is excitement, nerves, but the overwhelming feeling is how blessed I am at this stage of my career to go to the Olympics for a second time,” Spekman told HowSouth
“It’s something special. I never thought I would come back to the Sevens, but when I came back I made that one of my goals. I want to make sure that I leave everything out on the pitch if this going to be my last outing with the Sevens at the Olympics.
“I’m just enjoying every moment and making sure that everything I’ve learned at the Sevens and the 15s, I share with the guys, because this is once off tournament and there is going to be a lot of pressure. Pressure like nothing they have ever felt before.”
The SA Sevens fly into the tournament under the radar after a difficult season. But there is a quiet optimism in the team that they can pull off a podium finish and even grab that gold medal that has eluded the team at the last two Olympic Games.
You know what you know…@SiviweSoyizwapi @SVNSSeries #hulleweetniewatonsweetnie @WeBuyCars_SA pic.twitter.com/UXF93U46aC
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) July 15, 2024
This team is still in the rebuilding phase, but Spekman is convinced they turned the corner in Monaco, where they went unbeaten to earn the last qualifying spot at the expense of their great arch-nemesis Great Britain.
“In Monaco we played as one and we went back to the basics. That has now become the foundation for our preparations,” said Spekman.
“A lot of people have written us off ahead of the Games, but we feel like we have turned things around and everything is now in our hands.
“Nobody thinks we are going to get a podium finish, but the great thing about this team is that we want to write our own story.
“Look at this road we have travelled, our season was up and down. We can now show people that we belong at the Olympics, and anything can happen in Paris.”
LEARN from the best….@speckmagic11 pic.twitter.com/bsOtBPIVj5
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) July 16, 2024
Specman says his Rio 2016 experience was something he would never forget. The Sevens circuit goes all around the world, but they tend to encounter the same people and environments.
But the Olympic village is where Spekman and all the other South African athletes rub shoulders with some of the best sportsmen and women on the planet. Often, they also have a front row to history.
“The Olympics is the pinnacle for any sportsman and woman. That is where the best of the best meet and it doesn’t get any bigger than that,” said Spekman.
“It’s a major eye opener. You feel like a kid at Christmas. You see all these global superstars, such as Usain Bolt and Novak Djokovic.
“Now you are on their level, because all of us are in the same village. It’s something I’m looking forward to again.
“At Rio 2016 we walked around with Wayde van Niekerk thinking he has a chance and then he does something great. So, you are right there when people make history, and that is very inspiring.”
Blitzboks Paris bound with clear objectives…
More here: https://t.co/OSGzZs2XEi#PoweredByUnity@OfficialTeamRSA pic.twitter.com/9P0mfcvKCJ— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) July 17, 2024
Spekman is reaching the twilight of his career and this will probably be his last shot at Olympics glory. But while those legs can still sprint and step, he is gunning for gold in Paris.
“The body is still fine. I always tell myself, if I can still move freely, then I’m going to continue playing. But if the day comes that I can’t get out of bed, then I’m going to say ‘Rosko, it’s time to finish up’,” said Spekman.
“I think my experience can contribute to the team. I still know the ins and the outs, the times when I know the group needs me to bring intensity or experience, calmness or enjoyment.
“I have a bronze medal … but I desperately want to turn it into gold …”
