Preview: Las Vegas Sevens
The United States tournament is the fifth of 10 in the World Series.
To date, the series has produced four different winners in South Africa (Dubai), New Zealand (Cape Town), Australia (Sydney) and Fiji (Hamilton).
There is added significance to the series this year with the World Cup Sevens under six months away in San Francisco.
Teams will be battling it out not only for the United States title, but also crucial seedings points – which will determine the all-important draw for Sevens World Cup in July.
The next two rounds, the Las Vegas and Vancouver, are also the last chance to make assessments before the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast on April 14 and 15.
Fiji will play in Pool A and will face Kenya, France and Russia.
In Pool B South Africa, runners-up in the last two tournaments in Sydney and Hamilton, will play England, Canada and Wales.
Australia, winners in Sydney and bronze medallists in Hamilton, are drawn in Pool C with the improving Samoa, United States and Spain.
New Zealand will face Scotland, Argentina and invitational team Uruguay in Pool D.
It's a measure of the depth South Africa has built around its Sevens side that they are confident of defending their title in Las Vegas.
Philip Snyman, who missed the Hamilton leg with a hamstring injury, has recovered and will lead the side, one of four players in the side who have appeared in more than 50 tournaments.
Kyle Brown (62), Branco du Preez (58) and Cecil Afrika (57) are the others. Snyman has completed the neat 50 events.
"We had some luck in the past and I'm not sure why we tend to be so successful here, but that means nothing this time around," BlitzBok coach Neil Powell said.
Certainly, the travel doesn't always help.
The BlitzBok side had to fly from Cape Town to London where they had a nine-hour stopover and then flew to Las Vegas, a trip of around 32 hours.
Schedule
(Kick-off is local time – GMT minus eight hours)
Friday, March 2
Scotland v Argentina – 15.00
New Zealand v Uruguay – 15.22
Kenya v France – 15.44
Fiji v Russia – 16.06
Samoa v United States – 16.28
Australia v Spain – 16.50
England v Canada – 17.12
South Africa v Wales – 17.34
Scotland v Uruguay – 18.01
New Zealand v Argentina – 18.23
Kenya v Russia – 18.45
Fiji v France – 19.07
Samoa v Spain – 19.29
Australia v United States – 19.51
England v Wales – 20.13
South Africa v Canada – 20.35
Saturday, March 3
Argentina v Uruguay – 11.30
New Zealand v Scotland – 11.52
France v Russia – 12.14
Fiji v Kenya – 12.36
United States v Spain – 13.04
Australia v Samoa – 13.26
Canada v Wales – 13.48
South Africa v England – 14.10
