Second-placed Blitzboks ready for crucial Vancouver leg of sevens series
by Craig Ray,
2016-03-11 10:58:20.0
VANCOUVER is the third new stop on the 10-tournament HSBC World Sevens Series, and the Blitzboks will be aiming to break new ground this weekend.
The beautiful city in British Columbia, Canada, follows Cape Town and Sydney as new‚ spectacular venues on the calendar. The tournament will be the first in sevens history to be played indoors at the impressive BC Place.
For SA‚ Fiji‚ New Zealand and Australia in particular‚ the visit will include little sightseeing because there is a tight race at the top of the standings.
Fiji‚ after winning in Las Vegas last week have moved to the top of the standings at the halfway point in the season on 91 points. The Blitzboks‚ by virtue of their third place in Vegas‚ are second overall on 86 points with NZ and Australia following with 82 and 73 points respectively.
SA have made four consecutive semifinal appearances this season‚ but converted only the Cape Town leg into overall victory.
Fiji have also made four Cup semifinals with two wins — in Dubai and Vegas. NZ won Wellington and Sydney but have twice missed out on the semifinals in an unusually inconsistent season for 12-time series champions.
Vancouver is all but sold out for the event and the organisers have also generously agreed to donate 40% of the proceeds to the Cyclone Winston relief fund in Fiji.
"I must say I am pretty glad we are not in the same pool as Canada‚" Blitzbok captain Kyle Brown said. "Teams at home seem to be at 200%. They bring a lot of emotion and passion‚ and they deliver.
"It’s great to be in Vancouver. The new tournaments have brought so much to the series this season‚ peaking with crowds and great energy. So I’m looking forward to it‚ and it’s a beautiful stop."
SA are drawn in pool C alongside Argentina‚ Scotland and newcomers Brazil. Brazil’s fifteens team recently defeated the US in arguably their biggest result to date.
With sevens debuting at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro‚ Brazil’s rapid improvement is not unexpected. They could be a problematic opponent in the pool phase.
TMG Digital
Kyle Brown. Picture: GALLO IMAGES/ZIYAAD DOUGLAS
VANCOUVER is the third new stop on the 10-tournament HSBC World Sevens Series, and the Blitzboks will be aiming to break new ground this weekend.
The beautiful city in British Columbia, Canada, follows Cape Town and Sydney as new‚ spectacular venues on the calendar. The tournament will be the first in sevens history to be played indoors at the impressive BC Place.
For SA‚ Fiji‚ New Zealand and Australia in particular‚ the visit will include little sightseeing because there is a tight race at the top of the standings.
Fiji‚ after winning in Las Vegas last week have moved to the top of the standings at the halfway point in the season on 91 points. The Blitzboks‚ by virtue of their third place in Vegas‚ are second overall on 86 points with NZ and Australia following with 82 and 73 points respectively.
SA have made four consecutive semifinal appearances this season‚ but converted only the Cape Town leg into overall victory.
Fiji have also made four Cup semifinals with two wins — in Dubai and Vegas. NZ won Wellington and Sydney but have twice missed out on the semifinals in an unusually inconsistent season for 12-time series champions.
Vancouver is all but sold out for the event and the organisers have also generously agreed to donate 40% of the proceeds to the Cyclone Winston relief fund in Fiji.
"I must say I am pretty glad we are not in the same pool as Canada‚" Blitzbok captain Kyle Brown said. "Teams at home seem to be at 200%. They bring a lot of emotion and passion‚ and they deliver.
"It’s great to be in Vancouver. The new tournaments have brought so much to the series this season‚ peaking with crowds and great energy. So I’m looking forward to it‚ and it’s a beautiful stop."
SA are drawn in pool C alongside Argentina‚ Scotland and newcomers Brazil. Brazil’s fifteens team recently defeated the US in arguably their biggest result to date.
With sevens debuting at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro‚ Brazil’s rapid improvement is not unexpected. They could be a problematic opponent in the pool phase.
TMG Digital
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