The Blitzboks could be forgiven for cursing such a tough pool at the Wellington Sevens in New Zealand this weekend‚ but it only serves to highlight how competitive the shorter version of the game has become.
South Africa‚ current leaders of the HSBC World Sevens Series after winning in Dubai and finishing runners-up in Cape Town‚ are drawn alongside Fiji‚ Australia and Japan in Pool B this weekend.
Fiji are the reigning series champions and gold medallists from last year’s Rio Olympics.
Japan made the semi-finals in Rio‚ losing the bronze medal match to SA while Australia are on the rise in Sevens‚ and Wellington is like a second home tournament for them.
It’s going to be a tough first day for the Blitzboks.
But on the flip side‚ the Blitzboks’s consistency and excellence this season means teams won’t relish facing them either.
SA have only lost one match out of 12 in 2017‚ and that was the Cape Town final when they went down 19-17 to England.
But the only time they have won in Wellington was in 2002‚ when current coach Neil Powell played for the team.
SA’s consistency on defence and in attack is the reason why the Blitzboks sit on top of the overall standings after two rounds with 41 log points.
“Japan showed at the Olympics that they can deliver on the big day when they beat New Zealand‚ so we dare not underestimate them‚” Powell said.
“Australia finished fourth and Fiji won the World Series last year‚ so it will not be an easy day out there if we are not on song from the first match.
“We need to start well against Japan to get the rhythm we need in order to go all the way.
“There is no use of us talking about a possible final and winning the cup if we trip up against Japan.”
SA also goes into Wellington‚ where they lost the final against New Zealand last year‚ without the vastly experienced duo of Cecil Afrika and Kyle Brown due to injury.
Replacing that experience is impossible but hopefully the players stepping in – Siviwe Soyizwapi and debutant Zain Davids – will bring the same skill and mental toughness.
“We don’t have Kyle and Cecil Afrika here this time due to injuries‚ and we have lost a lot of experience because of that‚” captain Philip Snyman said.
“But I am pretty excited about the new guys who came in and we are keen to give it another go to try and win the tournament.
“We trained well this week and will be ready‚ come Saturday and the first match against Japan.”
Snyman said that the Blitzboks adapted quickly to the 11-hour time difference between South Africa and New Zealand.
“It is hard to change around 11 hours as it is night and day‚ but we had some good sessions‚” said Snyman.
“Our attack looked sharp on Tuesday and the defence session we had today also had a good edge to it‚ so I am pretty pleased with the squad’s mindset at the moment.”
Wing Seabelo Senatla needs eight tries to become SA’s leading World Series try-scorer.
He currently sits on 172 tries with Fabian Juries’ record of 179 just in sight.
Branco du Preez (922 career points) could also move past Juries (925 points) on the all-time scoring list. — Tiso Black Star Group Digital
Tough sevens pool for the Blitzboks in Wellington
South Africa‚ current leaders of the HSBC World Sevens Series after winning in Dubai and finishing runners-up in Cape Town‚ are drawn alongside Fiji‚ Australia and Japan in Pool B this weekend.
Fiji are the reigning series champions and gold medallists from last year’s Rio Olympics.
Japan made the semi-finals in Rio‚ losing the bronze medal match to SA while Australia are on the rise in Sevens‚ and Wellington is like a second home tournament for them.
It’s going to be a tough first day for the Blitzboks.
But on the flip side‚ the Blitzboks’s consistency and excellence this season means teams won’t relish facing them either.
SA have only lost one match out of 12 in 2017‚ and that was the Cape Town final when they went down 19-17 to England.
But the only time they have won in Wellington was in 2002‚ when current coach Neil Powell played for the team.
SA’s consistency on defence and in attack is the reason why the Blitzboks sit on top of the overall standings after two rounds with 41 log points.
“Japan showed at the Olympics that they can deliver on the big day when they beat New Zealand‚ so we dare not underestimate them‚” Powell said.
“Australia finished fourth and Fiji won the World Series last year‚ so it will not be an easy day out there if we are not on song from the first match.
“We need to start well against Japan to get the rhythm we need in order to go all the way.
“There is no use of us talking about a possible final and winning the cup if we trip up against Japan.”
SA also goes into Wellington‚ where they lost the final against New Zealand last year‚ without the vastly experienced duo of Cecil Afrika and Kyle Brown due to injury.
Replacing that experience is impossible but hopefully the players stepping in – Siviwe Soyizwapi and debutant Zain Davids – will bring the same skill and mental toughness.
“We don’t have Kyle and Cecil Afrika here this time due to injuries‚ and we have lost a lot of experience because of that‚” captain Philip Snyman said.
“But I am pretty excited about the new guys who came in and we are keen to give it another go to try and win the tournament.
“We trained well this week and will be ready‚ come Saturday and the first match against Japan.”
Snyman said that the Blitzboks adapted quickly to the 11-hour time difference between South Africa and New Zealand.
“It is hard to change around 11 hours as it is night and day‚ but we had some good sessions‚” said Snyman.
“Our attack looked sharp on Tuesday and the defence session we had today also had a good edge to it‚ so I am pretty pleased with the squad’s mindset at the moment.”
Wing Seabelo Senatla needs eight tries to become SA’s leading World Series try-scorer.
He currently sits on 172 tries with Fabian Juries’ record of 179 just in sight.
Branco du Preez (922 career points) could also move past Juries (925 points) on the all-time scoring list. — Tiso Black Star Group Digital
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