Durban - The 2023 World Sevens Series has been the most open ever, with five different tournament winners of the seven tournaments to date, and that means the Blitzboks have as good a chance as anybody of winning this weekend’s Hong Kong event.
The Blitzboks won in Dubai last December and this weekend they will be hungry to rediscover the form they displayed in the UAE, as well as in Sydney when they lost in the final to New Zealand.
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The South Africans are in seventh position on the World Series standings with 89 points and have their sights set on making it back into the top four, with fourth place currently occupied by Fiji and Australia with 94 points. France is in third with 95 points, which means positions three to seven are separated by only six points.
“This is what the World Series is all about – you get to play the best of the best and nothing is guaranteed,” said Blitzboks coach Sandile Ngcobo.
“There is no such thing as small or big teams anymore. This is a challenge we needed as a group, and the players know they have to step up and prepare for battle. We have to play to the best of our ability in every single game.”
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The first of these is against eighth-placed Ireland on Friday morning. The last time they met, in Los Angeles, the men in Emerald Green beat the Blitzboks by 14-5 in their pool match.
“The only thing on our minds is the first game on the first day of the tournament, and that is Ireland,” said Ngcobo.
“After that match, we’ll take it from there. Our goal is to improve our position on the World Series standings, so we can go into the last legs of the season, in Toulouse and London, in the top four.”
The top four teams at the end of the season will gain automatic qualification to the 2024 Olympic Games.
Ngcobo said his players are looking forward to lacing up their boots again after a few weeks of introspection following the North American leg of the World Series.
“We’ve had a good week and the weather has played along, with no rain at our sessions, which allowed us to create some momentum on the training field and get everyone on the same page,” he said.
“The new players have slotted in extremely well – they are fast learners and have brought some excitement to the squad. Yes, they will make some mistakes, but we will benefit from their energy.”
Blitzboks' pool fixtures (SA times):
Friday
9.04am: SA v Ireland
Saturday
5.04am: SA v New Zealand
9.25am: SA v Kenya