Blitzboks can secure series crown

The Blitzboks will clinch their first World Rugby Sevens Series title since 2008-09 if they reach the Cup final of the Paris Sevens this weekend.

South Africa currently have a 25-point lead over second-placed Fiji, with England a further two points behind.

If the Blitzboks qualify for the Paris Sevens Cup final, they will only need to take the field at Twickenham next weekend to secure a second series crown.

However, captain Philip Snyman insists his side are taking nothing for granted .

'We had a nice break in Stellenbosch after Singapore and we worked hard. We want to fix some mistakes this weekend.

'The guys who are joining for Paris are looking really sharp. We have guys like Rosco Speckman coming back in and the team is in good spirits.'

For Tim Agaba, it is all about completing the squad's mission.

'We are very mindful of our own processes and systems and what the job at hand is. There is no sense in getting ahead of ourselves. We will be focusing on what we need to do, game for game and tournament after tournament.

'We are treating all tournaments the same, getting backs to the basics every time and start from there. The results then tend to look after themselves.'

Pools for Paris Sevens:

Pool A: Canada, South Africa, Scotland, Japan
Pool B: United States, New Zealand, Wales, Argentina
Pool C: England, Kenya, France, Spain
Pool D: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Russia

Sevens Series standings (top 10):

1. South Africa 157
2. Fiji 132
3. England 130
4. New Zealand 110
5. USA 101
6. Australia 94
7. Canada 76
8. Argentina 72
9. Scotland 68
10. Wales 61

Approaching milestones in Paris:

– Cecil Afrika holds the South African record for career points in the World Series (1246) and could extend that tally.
– Rosco Speckman has played in 99 matches for the Blitzboks and will play in his 100th when he takes to the field against Scotland.
– Dewald Human will make his Springbok Sevens debut when he takes to the field at Stade Jean Bouin.

Photo: Baptiste Fernandez/Getty Images

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