Blitzboks’ focus is on improvement

THE BLITZBOKS were in a very different space this time last year. Ahead of their trip to Las Vegas, they had lifted the cup in Dubai, played in the semi-final in Cape Town and made the finals of the Sydney and Hamilton legs.

This season, though, they made the 40-hour trip to the US without those kind of confidence-boosting results.

They finished sixth in Dubai last year, third in Cape Town, fourth in Hamilton and fifth in Sydney. And although the Springbok Sevens team have won the Vegas tournament four times, the goal will be more on the improvement of this young side this weekend, as opposed to celebrating another top podium finish in the Nevada desert.

The departure of a number of senior players has left the Blitzboks in a transition phase and the inexperience of the younger players has been evident.

The newer players have, at times, struggled to grasp their roles and the void left by the exit of all that experience has been noticeable.

But if ever there was a time to make the step-up, it’s now. This weekend the series hits the halfway mark and if the Blitzboks want to have a realistic chance of retaining their title and making it a record three in a row, a good finish in Vegas is absolutely crucial.

The South Africans are currently fourth on the World Series standings with 57 points and, if you take the 2020 Summer Olympics into account, moving up in the standings – or at least holding on to the fourth spot – is vital as the top four teams gain automatic qualification to the Games.

Blitzboks coach Neil Powell has previously said his focus is on improvement rather than results, given the transition phase they’re in. And that’s understandable: they’ve lost a large number of players. He’s also said the injection of some young energy will certainly add to their game and that youthful excitement will also add an element of unpredictability, and that can never be a bad thing.

But this weekend the Blitzies must roll the dice in style in Vegas.

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