Blitzboks can grab fourth title

THE last time a side won four of the first five tournaments of a World Sevens Series season was a decade ago when New Zealand were at their zenith and on their way to the eighth of their 12 overall titles.

The Blitzboks have a chance to capture their fourth win of the campaign in Las Vegas this weekend‚ the fifth round of the 2016-17 season.

Seldom has the series seen such dominance by one team.

South Africa have collected 85 out of a possible 88 log points so far this season and are 17 points clear of secondplaced England.

Key to the Blitzboks’ success has been their superior fitness‚ which is a vital component of their dominant defence.

The ability to get back to their feet and align for the next phase of tackling has been superb.

Having the luxury of a permanent base in Stellenbosch allows the Blitzboks to train to their own schedule in between tournaments – and it is paying huge dividends.

“We need to tweak here and there‚ depending on the circumstances‚ but because we have a broad [fitness] base to work from‚ we are able to do that‚” conditioning coach Allan Temple-Jones said from Las Vegas.

“The two-week turnaround between tournaments is pretty flexible and we might drop a contact session for a crosstraining session if the guys need that.”

Former world Sevens players of the year Cecil Afrika and Werner Kok will be key figures for the Blitzboks this weekend‚ especially in the absence of stalwarts like Seabelo Senatla and Kwagga Smith.

Kok missed all of last season with a knee injury, while Afrika missed the Blitzboks’ back-toback wins in Wellington and Sydney last month.

The Blitzboks are in Pool A alongside Canada‚ Wales and France.