Blitzboks out to break duck
Despite being runaway HSBC 2016-17 World Sevens Series log leaders after four titles and six final appearances‚ the Blitzboks are underdogs going into the seventh round in Hong Kong.
The Blitzboks go into the tournament well-prepared‚ but with a callow team as they attempt to win in Hong Kong for the first time.
SA holds a 23-point lead over England at the top of the standings. Regardless of the outcome this weekend‚ they will still be top of the pile before the eighth round in Singapore next week.
Should SA make it that far, they are likely to face Fiji or New Zealand in the quarterfinals.
They have lost only three out of 36 matches this season — all against England‚ which the Blitzboks have met five times, including in the finals in Cape Town‚ Sydney and Vancouver.
If the Blitzboks can limit damage to their lead‚ it would increase the pressure on the chasing pack, with tournaments running out.
Blitzboks captain Philip Snyman was optimistic about his team’s chances despite a swathe of injuries that have ruled out Roscko Speckman‚ Justin Geduld and Stephan Dippenaar from the recent North American leg of the series.
The 30-year-old captain will also have to calm the nerves of the two 19-year-olds in the squad‚ Stedman Gans and Zain Davids‚ and make sure debutant Blitzbok Selvyn Davids hits the ground running‚ as SA face tough matches against France on Friday and Kenya and Canada on Saturday.
“Our [training] sessions went well‚” Snyman said. “We had a solid attack session when we arrived and then showed good intensity in our defence session‚ which normally points to a positive mindset in the squad.
“Stedman and Zain have seen what it’s all about in the last couple of tournaments‚ so they know what is needed to contribute positively.
“I am also pretty excited on behalf of Selvyn‚ as he really has some serious weapons in his arsenal and definitely has that X-factor,” Snyman said.
“You have to grow as a team during the year anyway and adapt here and there in order to progress your game‚” he said.
“We had to make a tweak or two‚ but the fundamentals stayed the same.
“If we stick to our system and structure like we have done in the last couple of months the rewards will be there for us.”
Snyman dismissed talk of facing either New Zealand or Fiji in the last eight‚ preferring to focus on the pool matches first.
“We will not look past France for our first match … so our focus will be on a strong start on day one‚” Snyman said.
“We are very keen to win here‚ but to do that we need to keep it simple and believe in our structures and game plan,” he said.