Powell: Sevens season is not over yet for Blitzboks

FIJI managed to make it three golds in a row in Singapore which put them ahead of South Africa for the first time in this season’s World Series. The Blitzboks were forced to settle for fourth spot in Singapore, their worst finish of the series, matching their performance in Las Vegas.

It puts a serious dent into the hopes of the Blitzboks defending their Championship Crown as the Fijian’s late rally seems to be tying in with the South Africans perhaps feeling a little fatigue.

First up yesterday, it was Kenya who needed to be felled, and were so quite clinically, 24-12, thanks to a hat-trick from speedster Siviwe Soyizwapi.

The Blitzboks came out firing against the Fijians in their semi-final and managed to get themselves into the lead, but, despite even losing a man towards the end of the match, the Islanders still managed to turn over a 10-point deficit to win 12-10.

That loss meant that Fiji would almost certainly overtake the Blitzboks at the top of the standings, but with the South Africans going down to England in the third-fourth playoff, 26-24, and Fiji winning a thrilling final against Australia 28-22, saw their new lead extended to four points.

Powell said that although the outcome was not what they wanted, he was pleased with a number of aspects.

“We are very harsh when we evaluate ourselves and I am happy that they delivered on those things we wanted. We made some unmistakable mistakes though and we are still striving for that perfect game. The season is not over yet and I am looking forward to those two remaining tournaments,” said Powell.