Home advantage crucial for Blitzboks
"Well, what can I say. What an amazing tournament in Cape Town, South Africa, a fantastic atmosphere, some exhilarating Sevens and a home win to cap it off. South Africa, they just used the home crowd better than any other team I have seen in the past.
"Obviously coming out of Dubai, Fiji were my favourites – and it's easy to say in hindsight – but I was also thinking that South Africa would be very hard to beat and so it proved. They were going for three titles in a row on their home territory and while they were a little bit nervous and not in great form on Day One, the crowd was just amazing and it pulled them through.
"Day Two allowed them to regroup and they didn't look back. The win means they are second in the standings, with a real chance to go into 2016 with momentum.
"Elsewhere, looking at New Zealand, the next few weeks are certainly going to be a test of their depth. The aura has disappeared over the last couple of weeks and other teams now know they are going to struggle with their depth.
"They will bounce back though, they are New Zealand after all, and no doubt they will be targeting Wellington as that opportunity. We might even see the likes of Sonny Bill Williams and Liam Messam, they may have to call on some of their 15s stars earlier than anticipated, and that would help.
"Every day in Cape Town we were getting news that someone else had been ruled out and I didn't envy Gordon Tietjens' position. They just had an unbelievably bad run with injuries. The thing I noticed though was that nobody was feeling sorry for them as they have dominated in the past so much.
"Argentina are building and managed to get themselves into the final and they had their moments, it was great to see what it meant to them. A first Cup final for Santiago Gomez Cora as coach, and a first for Los Pumas since 2009 says a lot.
"In the end they didn't have enough petrol in the tank but it's an inexperienced team. I think they had five or six guys make their debuts over the opening two tournaments, so look out for them in the future.
"The USA played out of their skins in Dubai. They beat New Zealand not only for the first time but also the second in Dubai, and again in Cape Town. Although they failed to deliver in Cape Town, based on the fact that they gave it their all in Dubai, they are still one to watch. What people don't realise is this Series is tough, this back-to-back tournament play, it's pretty hard for fans to understand the pressure that these players are under.
"Mike Friday was disappointed with some decision making and that happens when you are under pressure and there was a little bit of fatigue as well. They will continue to grow, they are a team that's very capable of being a contender in Rio and are well coached.
"The French, third in Cape Town, are perennial underachievers. They have the talent and they have ability, as we saw with a victory over Fiji in the Cup, but they don't seem to have the spirit which is required to back up tournament after tournament.
"Their coaching staff have them in a pretty good place at the moment and it's going to be interesting again to see if they can continue that form into Wellington. They have a pretty good general in Terry Bouharhaha and players like Virimi Vakatawa, who shows they have the talent.
"And then there were the Kenyans. In Dubai we saw some glimpses of the old Kenya team, where they seem to be enjoying their rugby again. I remember when they were on a bit of a high, really enjoying their rugby, doing their dances after scoring. They seem to have a bit of that back again and I think that is down to their leader Collins Injera. He has a great opportunity to overtake everyone and become the Series' all time leading try scorer, and backed up with the likes of Oscar Ouma and Willy Ambaka – now back in the fold with a smile on their faces – I would look out for Kenya going forward."
@WorldRugby7s
