When Rosko Spekman made the return to Sevens rugby with the Blitzboks, making it to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games was his main goal.
Rosko Spekman is the only survivor from the Team South Africa Sevens side who earned the bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The much fancied South Africans dramatically lost 7-5 to Great Britain in the semi-finals, before thumping Japan 54-14 in the Bronze medal match.
At the Covid-19 postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the Blitzboks were bundled out in the quarter-finals by bronze medallists Argentina, while Fiji beat New Zealand to the final to claim the gold.
In that year, Spekman made his debut for the Springboks against Georgia, a dream come true after leaving the Blitzboks to pursue his dream of representing the green and gold on the Test rugby stage.
But that would be his one and cap, as injuries curtailed the hot-stepper’s move to the 15-man game. After stints with the Cheetahs, Stormers and Griquas, a 34-year-old Spekman made his way back into the Sevens fold after five years.
The Olympics was his main target, as he felt his experience would be invaluable ahead of a new season. But things nearly didn’t turn out as planned.
The @Blitzboks hard at work in Stellenbosch ahead of the Olympics. The team departs for Paris later this week. pic.twitter.com/HH0tnB2cca
Spekman made his comeback for the SA Sevens team in at the first World Sevens Series tournament in Dubai, where the South Africans swept all before them and won. But after that it went from bad to worse as the season progressed.
Coach Sandile Ngcobo quit towards the end of the campaign, while the team had to qualify for the Olympics the hard way.
After failing to qualify automatically, they were stunned by Kenya in the final of Africa qualifiers and had one final shot at the Games at the World Rugby Sevens Repechage tournament in Monaco.
The Blitzboks then clicked into gear in the Principality, going through the tournament unbeaten before clinching their place in Paris with a nervy win over Great Britain in the final.
Spekman and the SA Sevens team can finally relax and focus on the Games after taking the “gravel road” to Paris.
“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 IOLsport.
“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...
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) July 17, 2024
More here: https://t.co/OSGzZs2XEi#PoweredByUnity@OfficialTeamRSA pic.twitter.com/9P0mfcvKCJ
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 ...”
@JohnGoliath82