PREVIEW: HSBC SVNS Series - Round Five

PREVIEW ROUND FIVE: HSBC SVNS fever arrives in Vancouver for the opening round of back-to-back North American legs, with anticipation high for both the men’s and women’s tournaments leading into the end-of-season Championship series.

Springbok Sevens stalwart Impi Visser is back at the helm of the Blitzboks for the HSBC SVNS North American leg, with the regular captain closing in on his 50th world series tournament, while an experienced playmaking trio returns with the inclusion of another uncapped player in the squad.

Whilst the experienced Visser will lead the squad for the final two events of the regular HSBC SVNS Series, where Selvyn Davids, Ronald Brown, and Dewald Human are set to return from injury, there is also a potential debut for Grant de Jager.

De Jager, who hails from Mpumalanga, is set to become another product schooled in Middelburg to play for the Blitzboks, following in the footsteps of Kwagga Smith and JC Pretorius.

Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman made six changes to the squad that returned victorious from Perth at the start of the month. Apart from welcoming back Selvyn Davids, Brown, and Human, Gino Cupido also returns.

Davids and Brown have recovered from injuries sustained in Cape Town in December, Cupido is back after being a late withdrawal from the Singapore/Perth leg, and Human returns to the fray for the first time this season.

BC Place is set to host decisive matches as the race for vital league points goes to the wire in both tournaments, with last year’s winners Argentina and New Zealand defending their titles.

Singapore champions Fiji, who have finished in the top three of every event on the HSBC SVNS Series so far this season, head the table in the men’s competition heading to BC Place, chased hard by Cape Town and Perth winners South Africa and Dubai champions New Zealand.

Paris Olympic gold-medallists France sit just outside the top three, level on points with Australia, while two-time league winners Argentina are recovering from a slow start this season, and will be keen to make their mark on the last two legs of the campaign.

In the men’s competition, Fiji are in a tough Pool B in Vancouver, and will face Australia, Argentina and France. South Africa, meanwhile, will play New Zealand, Spain and Great Britain in Pool A.

“We’re trying to get used to this weather,” Argentina’s Santiago Alvarez joked when players gathered at the Pier next to the Convention Centre for the pre-tournament captains’ photograph event.

“We’ve come from Argentina, it’s hot there now, so we’re trying to get comfortable here. But we’re looking forward to the weekend. Vancouver has been a good place for us. We’ve won some championships here, but we’re a new team, we’re trying to be better each day.”

In the women’s competition, New Zealand have opened up a four-point gap over great rivals Australia heading into Vancouver, and will renew a fierce battle that has seen them contest each of the four finals to date on the tour. USA, France, Canada and Japan, meanwhile, are vying for third in the table as the Series enters its closing stages.

After their heroics in Perth, three-time 2026 Series champions New Zealand have been drawn against France, Japan, and Great Britain in Pool A in Canada. Cape Town winners Australia, meanwhile, face a stiff first-day challenge against USA, Canada, and Fiji in Pool B.

The Blitzboks are currently second on the log with two tournaments to play in the normal series.

Standings:
1 Fiji – 70 pts
2 South Africa – 66
3 New Zealand – 62
4 France – 54
5 Australia – 54

Blitzbok squad for HSBC SVNS Vancouver:

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 26 tournaments, 215 points (43 tries)

#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 60 tournaments, 260 points (52 tries)

#3 Impi Visser (captain) – 48 tournaments, 230 points (46 tries)

#7 Ronald Brown – 22 tournaments, 453 points (47 tries, 109 conversions)

#8 Selvyn Davids – 44 tournaments, 739 points (97 tries, 127 conversions, 1 penalty goal)

#10 Dewald Human – 31 tournaments, 320 points (30 tries, 85 conversions)

#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 62 tournaments, 795 points (159 tries)

#12 Shilton van Wyk – 31 tournaments, 330 points (66 tries)

#16 Sebastiaan Jobb – 6 tournaments, 45 points (9 tries)

#19 David Brits – 13 tournaments, 55 points (11 tries)

#24 Tristan Leyds – 15 tournaments, 170 points (22 tries, 30 conversions)

#28 Grant de Jager – uncapped

#35 Gino Cupido – 1 tournament, 20 points (4 tries)

Fixtures:
(Kick-off is local time – GMT −7 hours)

Day One, March 7:

Men:
Australia v Argentina (20.57)
Fiji v France (21.19)
New Zealand v Spain (21.41)
South Africa v Great Britain (22.03)

Women:
France v Japan (22.25)
New Zealand v Great Britain (22.47)
USA v Canada (23.09)
Australia v Fiji (23.31)

Additional source @SARugby & @WorldRugby