Siviwe Soyizwapi is confident that the Blitzboks will finish the last World Rugby Sevens Series tournament in Los Angeles in the same way they started the first in Dubai way back in December.
There are permutations galore, but for the Springbok Sevens team the focus in Los Angeles will be simple – they just want to run their own race.
The Blitzboks go into the final tournament of the season in LA on top of the Sevens Series standings, but the unique rankings points system for this season means that plenty could happen this weekend.
Only the best seven out of the nine tournament results count towards the series ranking for each team, with Australia, Argentina and Fiji all hot on South Africa’s heels.
“We have to keep our own standards and not worry about our opponents,” Soyizwapi said.
“We had an up-and-down season, but we learned from all those mishaps and came back stronger. This is one more go and another opportunity to finish the season the way we started it way back in Dubai. We know what the level is to win tournaments, it is now up to us to make sure we reach that this weekend.”
Soyizwapi said their three pool games, starting on Saturday evening (SA time) loom large.
“Canada have been playing good rugby all series, the USA will feed off the energy from their home crowd and will be pumped up, and New Zealand have always been a great rival, so all three matches will challenge us. We just need to ensure we have the consistency from the start and the rest will follow.
“We started the week well by adjusting our sleeping patterns, not going to bed when our SA body clocks kicked in. It was not only the time zone that was different, but also the weather. We left a cold and wet Cape Town for a warm and sunny LA, so that was also a nice change for us.
“The sessions also had a nice intensity to it, so we are quite pleased with the way that went.”
Blitzbok forward JC Pretorius, who is in line to play in his 100th World Series match for the team in California, was also in a positive mood as the tournament approached.
“I picked up an injury in Toulouse and missed the London tournament, so I was in a race against time to be ready for the Commonwealth Games,” said Pretorius.
“I did stress a bit, to be honest, whether I would recover in time for the Commonwealth Games. Luckily, I did and as the tournament progressed, I felt increasingly at ease and, in the end, it finished very well for us.
“This time around, I am fit and ready and with a very positive mindset. We have played the USA and Canada a number of times this season, so we know by now how to play them. It will all be about our standards and how we execute those.”
Blitzboks’ pool schedule (SA times, all matches on SuperSport):
Saturday, 27 August:
6:20pm: USA
9:26pm: Canada
Sunday, 28 August
00:59am: New Zealand
Photo: Twitter: @Blitzboks
