Eyeing top four: Blitzboks 'have to step up and prepare for battle' at Hong Kong Sevens

With five different tournament winners out of the seven tournaments played so far in 2023, there's little doubt that this is one of the most competitive World Rugby Sevens Series ever.

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Up to now, only New Zealand and Argentina have won more than once, and although the Springboks started the season well by winning the second tournament in Dubai, they've struggled since.

This weekend, the jewel in the World Sevens Series crown, the Honk Kong Sevens, takes place and the Blitzboks will be hoping to rediscover their early season form. 

For Blitzbok coach Sandile Ngcobo, the challenge doesn't get any bigger than this weekend, when his team will be in a challenging Pool D alongside Ireland, New Zealand and Kenya, all teams that have beaten them this season. 

The South Africans are in seventh position on the World Series standings with 89 points, and they have their sights set on making it back into the top four.

Fiji and Australia currently occupy fourth place with 94 points. France are in third with 95 points, which means positions three to seven are separated by only six points.

"This is what the World Series is all about – you get to play the best of the best, and nothing is guaranteed," Ngcobo said from Hong Kong on the eve of the tournament.

"There is no such thing as small or big teams anymore, and we will prepare for the weekend accordingly. This is a challenge we needed as a group, and the players know they have to step up and prepare for battle, and to ensure we play to the best of our ability in every single game."

The first of these is against eighth-placed Ireland on Friday morning. The last time they met, in Los Angeles, the