A change to the tournament format will make it more difficult for the legitimate title contenders at the HSBC SVNS Cape Town to walk away from the DHL Stadium victorious and with the maximum number of log points this weekend.
That is the view of Springbok Sevens co-captain Impi Visser as the Blitzboks concluded their preparations in a wet and windy Mother City on Friday, ready for their two pool clashes against Ireland and Argentina on Saturday.
In the revised format, which will be used at the Cape Town and Singapore tournaments this season, teams will only play two pool matches, with the four pool winners advancing straight into the Cup semi-finals on Sunday.
“Whether we like the new format or not, it means that you have to be on top of your game from the very first minute of each match and we are very aware of that,” said Visser.
“Last week in Dubai we were hot and cold and made silly errors, something you will not be able to get away with this weekend
“This is our home tournament and one we have not been successful at for a while, so we are going all out to change that and deliver a performance that we as a squad and our supporters can be proud of.”
Visser said that although Ireland and Argentina are formidable opponents, the real challenge will come from within: “We are looking at ourselves and how to be as clinical and effective as possible. There will no be no second chances, we will have to execute every opportunity we create.”
The seasoned Blitzbok forward said a number of new players in the Ireland team has made analysis of them a bit more challenging than was the case last year when they had a settled squad.
“They still have the same coach though, so not much will change in their style of play, so if we keep the ball when we have possession we should be ok when playing them,” he said.
Argentina have an experienced group that won the World Series last year and Visser is expecting a huge onslaught: “Yes, they are very strong and experienced with a lot of established players. We will have to be at our very best and play clinical rugby to beat them.”
Current standings:
1 Fiji 20
2 Spain 18
3 Argentina 16
4 New Zealand 14
5 France 12
6 South Africa 10