Powell not sure why the Blitzboks tend to be so successful in Las Vegas
PRETORIA: It was at this very juncture last season that the South African Sevens team put daylight between themselves and the chasing pack in the World Sevens Series.
And they will look to do the same this weekend in Las Vegas where their gambles of throwing in youngsters paid off richly last year as they walked away with yet another tournament win at the Sam Boyd Stadium.
It is in the US desert city where the Blitzboks must make sure that their adversaries’ fortunes remain dry and barren while banking their chips in anticipation for the jackpot at the end of the series.
What has severely hampered the South Africans at the beginning of this season is their inability to have the same success rate as last season.
Then they were dominant on the standings after winning three of the first four tournaments. The Blitzboks will go into the weekend with only one tournament win this season, and that was at the end of last year in Dubai. They are top of the standings because of their consistency – they finished third in Cape Town and were losing finalists in Sydney in January and in Hamilton last month.
The last two tournaments in Australia and New Zealand were bitter-sweet for Neil Powell’s men as they lost valuable experience through injuries, but they nevertheless maned to make up on the ground lost in their home tournament.
Even though the Blitzboks had to endure the pain of losing in the final twice, it was the vital 38 points they picked up against Australia and Fiji in consecutive finals that saw them catapult themselves back to the top of the table on 77 points. But with the series still so tightly contested and second-placed New Zealand on 69 points, third-placed Fiji (62 points) and then Australia (60 points), it will be vital that the men in green and gold don’t just rely on gambler’s luck. Each of the top-four teams have won a tournament this season.
“We had some luck in the past and I’m not sure why we tend to be so successful in Las Vegas, but that means nothing this time around,” said Powell.
Fortunately for Powell there will be some old heads within his squad to bolster the excitement that comes with youthful talent, especially that of tournament debutants such as Ryan Oosthuizen, Muller du Plessis and Selvyn Davids.
The presence of captain Philip Snyman will not only beef up their leadership, but also bring about normality to a side that has looked disjointed when in dire need of the trademark unity to see them be the last team standing.
“Generally, we have a pretty experienced squad. Although Ryan, Selvyn and Muller are new to Vegas, they are not new to the system, so it should not be an issue,” said Powell.
The Blitzboks kick off their title defence in Las Vegas against Wales early tomorrow (3.34am SA time) followed by Canada (6.35am) and then England on Sunday (12.10am) to finish off their pool matches.