The next two Sevens Series tournaments in North America are the ones the Blitzboks will target to keep their hopes alive of reaching the top three at the end of the season.
Normally a good hunting ground for them, they will face an uphill battle at the Canada Sevens in Vancouver in a pool that includes New Zealand, Ireland, and Great Britain.
After a journey of just over 30 hours from Cape Town to the Canadian city, the Springbok Sevens are in high spirits and confident that they can turn things around after only reaching the quarter-finals of the last two tournaments.
They won the first one in Dubai, but could not repeat the success in Cape Town and Perth. According to forward Ryan Oosthuizen they are only focused on how to get the job done.
“We are an experienced group, so by now we understand the routine of recovering from a long-haul flight such as this and how to combat the effects of jet lag,” he said.
“We are playing on Friday already, so recovery is key.
“We realise that we need to deliver on this trip. I am confident we will. We worked hard at home, have good experience in the squad and some players are in very good form for us, so that all points to a competitive showing.”
The Blitzboks are currently in fourth place on 42 points with series leaders Argentina (58), Fiji (44), and Australia (44) ahead of them.
They can expect stiff competition from the Irish, All Blacks, and Great Britain who are all behind them on the log.
“Our goal is definitely not to end in the top eight, but definitely in the top three, maybe top one or two. We always strive to be the best we possibly can.”
@Leighton_K