The Blitzboks are looking for their killer instinct in the desert as they gear up for their Sevens Series title defence.
South Africa start their title defence against Zimbabwe in Dubai on Friday and captain Philip Snyman believes that if they win the first tournament of the season, they will have some momentum on their side heading into next weekend’s home leg in Cape Town.
For that to happen, though, Snyman says they must show no mercy – especially when it comes to knockout games.
He explains: “We believe that if we can get off to good solid start, it will set the tone for rest of the season.
“We want to have that killer instinct once we get to the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final. We want to get some wins under the belt.”
The Blitzboks have won back-to-back tournament in Dubai, but have failed to follow that up with success in the Mother City.
BRAVE LEADER: Phillip Snyman. Photo:RYAN WILKISKY/BACKPAGEPIX
After winning the first Cape Town Sevens event in the 2015/16 season, they lost to England in the 2016/17 final, before having to settle for bronze last season.
Snyman, though, is hopeful that this will be the year in which they win the first two tournaments to celebrate the Christmas break in style.
He says: “[If we win in Dubai] we can take momentum into our home tournament and hopefully this will also be our year in Cape Town.
“If we can do that, we can go into the Christmas break with a lead on the log.
“It’s important for us [to start on a high] and if this can help us get quicker out of the blocks, then it’s better for us.”
The 31-year-old, along with the experienced Kyle Brown, made their debuts for the national team a decade ago in Dubai and will undoubtedly go all out for a happy anniversary.
BRAVE LEADER: Philip Snyman