The Springbok Sevens will face Dubai champions New Zealand, as well as Fiji and Great Britain on the opening day of the HSBC SVNS Cape Town on Saturday, as the pool draw was confirmed following last weekend’s action in the desert.
The first pool match kicks off at 10am on Saturday when the women’s teams of Japan and Canada go head-to-head, and the action will conclude shortly before 8pm.
The Blitzboks’ three pool games are scheduled for 12:44pm (Fiji), 4pm (New Zealand) and 7:41pm (Great Britain), which is the final game of the first day.
Interestingly, Pool A consists of the three top try-scoring teams from all world series tournaments played in South Africa to date.
New Zealand lead the list with 598 tries at 4.3 per game. They are followed by the flying Fijians, whose 589 tries have also come at 4.3 per game, while the Blitzboks have scored 526 tries at an average of 3.9 per game.
The 16 teams scored 254 tries in Dubai last weekend, at an average of 6.5 tries per game.
A total of 24 games are on the roster for Saturday, after which the top two teams from each pool will progress to the semifinals on Sunday, while the other teams will contest the minor placings.
The two finals on Sunday are scheduled for 4:10pm (women) and 4:43pm (men).
“The cut-throat nature of the new format means there is no place to hide and every match will count as the teams aim to stay in the hunt for the title,” said SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer.
“The Blitzboks recovered well in Dubai, but they will have their work cut out for them as they aim to defend the title they won last year in Cape Town, and we would like to urge our loyal fans and anyone else looking for some of the best entertainment to head to DHL Stadium this weekend to support our boys.
“The HSBC SVNS Cape Town has become synonymous with the ‘official start of summer’ and apart from red-hot rugby action, supporters can expect top-notch entertainment as well as an amazing offering of food, drinks and merchandise during the two days of the tournament. We can’t wait to welcome our fans to DHL Stadium this weekend.”
HSBC SVNS CAPE TOWN POOLS:
Men:
A: Springbok Sevens, New Zealand, Fiji, Great Britain
B: Australia, Argentina, France, Spain
Women:
A: New Zealand, Fiji, Great Britain, USA
B: Australia, Canada, France, Japan
Pool fixtures – Saturday, 6 December:
10am: Japan v Canada (women)
10:22am: Australia v France (women)
10:44am: Fiji v USA (women)
11:06am: New Zealand v Great Britain (women)
11:38am: France v Spain (men)
12pm: Australia v Argentina (men)
12:22pm: New Zealand v Great Britain (men)
12:44pm: Fiji v South Africa (men)
1:16pm: Japan v France (women)
1:38pm: Australia v Canada (women)
2pm: Fiji v Great Britain (women)
2:22pm: New Zealand v USA (women)
2:54pm: France v Argentina (men)
3:16pm: Australia v Spain (men)
3:38pm: Fiji v Great Britain (men)
4pm: New Zealand v South Africa (men)
4:42pm: Canada v France (women)
5:04pm: Australia v Japan (women)
5:26pm: USA v Great Britain (women)
5:48pm: New Zealand v Fiji (women)
6:35pm: Spain v Argentina (men)
6:57pm: Australia v France (men)
7:19pm: New Zealand v Fiji (men)
7:41pm: South Africa v Great Britain (men)