Blitzboks aim for flying start in Dubai

The whole HSBC World Sevens Series merry-go-round kicks off in Dubai on Friday with the Blitzboks looking to start the campaign positively again.

In the past two seasons they have won in Dubai and gone on to win the overall series.

SA have the chance to win the World Series for a third straight year – a feat only achieved by New Zealand since the start of the competition when they won the first six in a row, from 2000 to 2005.

The Kiwis also won four in a row between 2011 and 2014 while Fiji’s best run has been two in a row.

The Blitzboks were remarkably consistent last season, qualifying for the semifinals of each of the 10 legs.

But they only won two tournaments from that position‚ which was a mediocre return for their consistency.

“We need to stay consistent but we also have been working on finding the killer instinct when we reach the semifinals and finals‚” captain Philip Snyman said.

Snyman’s experience will be a huge positive factor in Dubai and during the season.

The Blitzboks have won three of the last four Dubai tournaments‚ including the last two‚ underlining how much emphasis they put on making a strong early statement.

“We believe if we can get off to a good‚ solid start in Dubai then it sets the tone for the rest of the season‚” Snyman said.

“It’s important for us to get out of the blocks quickly.”

SA are top seeds and are drawn in Pool A.

They open their account against Zimbabwe on Friday and have later matches against Samoa and Argentina.

In the early years there were only realistically three or four teams that could win‚ but recently‚ with the sport of sevens becoming a part of the Olympics‚ the strength base has widened.

The likes of the US are always contenders while Argentina‚ Australia‚ France and Canada are factors alongside the big three of NZ‚ SA and Fiji.

The other major goal during the 2018-2019 season is to secure one of the top four overall positions for automatic qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Although there are other avenues into the four-yearly showpiece‚ Blitzbok coach Neil Powell wants to get it done during this campaign and not have to sneak in the back door.

Snyman will be playing his 10th Dubai tournament and as one of the veterans in the side‚ he knows that every tournament could be his last.

There are no guarantees that he will be still be in the set-up when Tokyo comes around‚ but the skipper is determined to make sure the team qualifies.

“Olympic qualifying is the main aim for the season‚ but we also want to still be successful and retain the No 1 [spot].

“If we can be consistent like last year then it will take care of itself.” –