The Springbok Sevens stand on the precipice of an exceptional double that would undoubtedly make them the best team in the world when they head to Bordeaux for the final HSBC World Championship tournament.
The Blitzboks, who lost to Australia in the Valladolid final on Sunday, still head the overall table with 38 points, four ahead of Argentina and eight ahead of Australia.
And with 20 points up for grabs for the winner of Bordeaux, 18 for the runners up and 16 for a third spot, the Blitzboks will be assured of the title if they make the final of the Bordeaux tournament, or finish strong in the last leg of the World Championship.
Their run of five consecutive tournament victories came to an end in Spain, but they are still the only side who have qualified for next season’s World SVNS Series after winning the Series earlier this year.
The Blitzboks won tournaments in Cape Town, Perth, Toronto and New York in succession to win the title, and then added their first ever Hong Kong tournament win in the first leg of the World Championship.
The World SVNS Series is contested by the eight core teams, while the World Championship has those teams and four teams from the SVNS2 league, with the top eight qualifying for the next season’s Series.
The convoluted system isn’t by any means perfect, but Blitzbok coach Philip Snyman rotated his team well and has done wonders with them since taking charge.And if theycan compete one last time this weekend, it would crown an almost perfect season for the Blitzboks.
They have a tough pool - but then again with 12 teams, all pools are tough. But this weekend they will again face Kenya and Great Britain, but unlike Valladolid where they faced eventual winners Australia, South Sea magicians Fiji have been added to their poolAustraliaare pooled with Spain, USA and Uruguay while Pool C sees Argentina, New Zealand, France and Germany.
The Blitzboks have struggled against the ever-physical Kenyans in the two tournaments they have faced, and needed extra time to beat Great Britain in Valladolid. They had some epic battles against Fiji in the World SVNS Series, with the most memorable win being the one in New York that secured the Series title. The tournament takes place from Friday to Sunday and will be live on Supersport.