The Sevens World Series leaders and defending champions have been in Singapore since Monday in order to acclimatise ahead of the tournament.

The Blitzboks are gunning for a seventh straight title and a win against Canada will be a 35th victory on the trot.

The Blitzbok, Ronald Brown, admitted that the humidity can make things tricky.

“The conditions are different from those I have experienced in the other tournaments; it is a bit slippery and wet, but all teams will play in the same conditions, so it is not an issue for us. We trained well and I cannot wait to be back on the field.”

Brown added that he is excited to be back in the national colours after having recovered from his knee injury.

“First, I had to get the knee right, so that was the big focus for me. And then get fit and able to play, and I am happy to say that it worked out well. It was also a good mental break for me. Now, coming back into the squad, I can just focus on rugby again.

“We will stick to our guns and do what we do. We will face them as a squad and not individuals and that will make the job easier.

“We all know they bring something different to the tournament and everyone is excited to experience that. They will challenge us in unfamiliar ways that we are used to that that makes it even more exciting.”

 South Africa will face Canada at 6:34 on Saturday morning in their opening game.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport