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New Zealand expect a fierce backlash from defending International Rugby Board (IRB) sevens champions South Africa and it will come as soon as the opening night of the Wellington tournament starting tomorrow.
New Zealand's dominant start to the series and South Africa's unexpectedly poor form has seen the two powerhouses drawn together and they will square off in the final round of pool play.
It's a schedule that has evergreen New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens on edge but also relishing the challenge as his team look to make it three tournament wins a row.
They won the series' two opening tournaments in Dubai and George in early December but Tietjens knows only too well how quickly the landscape can change.
"All the teams will bounce back but I think particularly South Africa," Tietjens said.
"They were very disappointed with their performances, especially after being so consistent last year and winning the title. They'll be a different team coming into Wellington.
"This would be one of the hardest pools we've had for a long time. It's just going to put a lot of pressure on us but you've got to adjust to that. At the end of the day, I suppose you have to beat them all to win the tournament."
Wales and Niue are New Zealand's other first-day opponents, with the Welsh match providing a chance for revenge.
The world champion Welsh stunned Tietjens' men 28-17 in pool play here last year, their first victory in 18 meetings, aided by an early red card to New Zealand playmaker Tomasi Cama for punching and a yellow for captain DJ Forbes, reducing them to five players for two minutes.
New Zealand recovered to reach the final, where they led England 17-0 before succumbing 17-19 following England's dramatic late try to Isoa Damu.
It was the closest New Zealand came to winning a tournament in a forgettable 2008-09 season, making this campaign's perfect start all the more satisfying for a coach accustomed to success.
"To win the first two tournaments was way above my expectations. I thought we were 20 per cent underdone compared to four-five of the other teams who had been to tournaments prior to Dubai," Tietjens said.
"Tactically we adopted the right gameplans and the players played to those tactics. That was the real key to beating teams like Kenya and England."
New Zealand have not always been at their best in Wellington.
While the annual sellout here is as much about the fancy dress party, the players sense the crowd's expectation levels.
"Wellington's always tough, it does put a lot of pressure on. You ask South Africa, they've only won their own tournament once in 10 or 11 years," Tietjens said.
"There's all the pressures off the field as well, there are more demands on the players. It's probably the toughest tournament for us to win."
New Zealand will still start favourites tomorrow.
They need just 14 points to be the first team in the IRB series to reach 15,000 points. Winners of eight of the 10 IRB series, they are the only team who average more than 30 points per game in that time.
Meanwhile, Tietjens believed sevens' recent acceptance into the rarified Olympic Games fold would not see the code lose its unique carnival feel.
"I think sevens rugby will always remain that, even when it becomes an Olympic sport," he said.
"There's always going to be the excitement. The fact that so many teams can win now makes it more interesting and more teams will become stronger now that there's the Olympic carrot, which will just make it a better sport."
Pools
Pool A: New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, Niue.
Pool B: Fiji, Australia, Scotland, Papua New Guinea.
Pool C: England, Kenya, United States, Tonga.
Pool D: Samoa, Argentina, France, Canada.
Series standings
New Zealand 48 points, Fiji 36, England 28, Samoa 26, Argentina 22, Kenya 22, Australia 18, South Africa 16, Wales 8.
- NZPA
