Blitzboks land tough draw for Hong Kong Sevens | Sport

Blitzboks skipper Siviwe Soyizwapi. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)

• The prestigious Hong Kong Sevens takes place this weekend.
• After disappointment in Vancouver, the Blitzboks are in Pool D with Kenya, Ireland and New Zealand.
• The top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals.

In a season where their form has been erratic, to say the least, the Blitzboks were handed a tough draw for the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens taking place this weekend.

The event, the eighth of 11 in this year’s calendar, sees South Africa contest Pool D alongside New Zealand, Ireland and Kenya, all teams that have beaten the Blitzboks at some point this season.

Finishing in the top two of the pool means the Blitzboks will play one of the top two finishers from Pool A, made up of Canada, Samoa, Fiji, and Argentina. 

The Hong Kong Sevens starts on Friday, where South Africa will play Ireland at 09:04 (SA time). 

On Saturday, the pool concludes with fixtures against New Zealand (05:04) and Kenya (09:25).

Springbok Sevens squad (with World Series stats):

Ryan Oosthuizen – 39 tournaments, 188 matches (185 points, 37 tries)

Impi Visser – 28 tournaments, 146 matches (135 points, 27 tries)

Zain Davids – 39 tournaments, 198 matches (180 points, 36 tries)

Siviwe Soyizwapi (captain) – 47 tournaments, 244 matches (735 points, 147 tries)

Mfundo Ndhlovu – 13 tournaments, 60 matches (65 points, 13 tries)

Christie Grobbelaar – 14 tournaments, 71 matches (110 points, 22 tries)

Shaun Williams – 9 tournaments, 46 matches (113 points, 17 tries, 14 conversions)

Travis Ismaiel – 1 tournament, 5 matches (5 points, 1 try)

Ricardo Duarttee – 6 tournaments, 34 matches (156 points, 13 tries, 44 conversions, 1 penalty goal)

Tiaan Pretorius – 3 tournaments, 10 matches (5 points, 1 try)

Ethan James – uncapped

Sebastiaan Jobb – uncapped

Donovan Don – uncapped