Blitzboks aim to finish the season with World Championship trophy in hand
The Springbok Sevens have been grouped alongside overall series winners Argentina, who won three out of six series legs, 2024 Paris Olympic Games champions France as well as Great Britain.
Two out of three victories should be enough to see the side reach the semi-finals of the World Championship where they will face off against one of Fiji, Spain, Australia or New Zealand, who will be battling it out in the other group.
South Africa will back their chances to overcome France, who have only reached the final four of a SVNS leg on two occasions this season, as well as Great Britain, who snuck into the top eight despite a best finish of fifth across the six legs.
The Blitzboks though, like France, have struggled for consistency. They've reached two finals – winning one, in Cape Town – but have also finished ninth on two occasions.
'We can look back at the regular series where we had a mixed bag of results, but this effort here in Los Angeles will define the season,' said Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman.
'We have won and lost against all three during the season, so it will come down to the effort of that match. There are no easy games, and a clinical execution will be the difference.
'There were brilliant moments, average moments and some poor moments, but we are looking towards this weekend, not behind us. We had our review of the series and know what we were good at, or not.
'Our fourth place in the series was an improvement from the previous year, but we want to be remembered for more than that.'
'New energy'
The Blitzboks tailed off toward the back end of the World Series with consecutive ninth-placed finishes in Hong Kong and Singapore in the final two legs.
It means that the Springbok Sevens' cumulative 70 points, gained from the six SVNS legs this season, is closer to New Zealand (56) in seventh place — who failed to finish above fourth in any leg — than Spain (88) in third.
Fortunately for the Blitzboks, France in fifth overall finished last in Singapore, and Australia, who are sixth, limped to 10th in the Asian city, so they were not overtaken.
For the Blitzboks, their ambitions of a World Championship title have been improved by the return of trio Ronald Brown, Mfundo Ndhlovu and Quewin Nortje — the latter is the leading try scorer for the team this season.
'We needed some new energy, given the short turnaround from Singapore, where we did not deliver,' Snyman said.
'I am happy to say we got that from them. Overall, it will be a weekend of enjoyment, effort and energy, and each of those players are able to provide that. We are in a good space.'
Bok Sevens Women
The Springbok Sevens Women, meanwhile, have been forced to shift their goals at the last minute because of the recently revamped SVNS model next year.
The team arrived in America with the ambition of making it on to next year's SVNS World Series as one of the core 12 teams, but because of the 'evolved SVNS model' announced by World Rugby — two days before the start of the LA SVNS — the Bok Sevens Women will a gun for a spot in the second tier of the series.
'It does change the temperature in the room as there is funding from World Rugby involved, and if we don't get into the tier two, that might be at risk,' said head coach Renfred Dazel.
'Having said that, we came here with clear objectives on how to perform on the field, and that has not changed. We came here to win the play-off tournament, and that mission remains. If we manage that, it will be tier two, but that is next season's planning.'
The nation Sevens ladies will be up against World Series regulars Ireland in their first clash of the weekend, and will then face China and Argentina. DM
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