'Cape Town is still the best': Brits ready for first taste of Hong Kong Sevens

The 28-year-old Blitzboks forward said he still rates the South African leg as unmatched, but is approaching the week in Hong Kong with an open mind.

On his first visit to the tournament, Brits is determined to make the most of the opportunity, with a long-awaited title in Hong Kong also high on his list of goals.

"Everyone is raving about this tournament and from what I saw on TV in the past, there is certainly a hype," said Brits.

"I am in a lift club with Ryan Oosthuizen as well and he speaks with great respect of the tournament. For me personally, the Cape Town Sevens is the best tournament ever, especially when we play in the final and win, like we did in the last two years, but I am prepared to give Hong Kong a go," Brits added, still with a wink of the eye.

"I missed out on the tournament the last two years because of injury, which was unfortunate, but that is how rugby goes sometimes. This time around I made it, much to my delight as I can now also play in what will be a huge moment in my sevens career. The fact that we arrive here well prepared makes the wait even more exciting."

Brits has tasted success with the Blitzboks, winning the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles last year and the 2026 HSBC SVNS Series, but said the team is starting fresh as they head into the first of three World Championship events.

"We came here with the series behind us, as we now focus on the next challenge," he said.

"We are very proud of what we achieved thus far, but that is in the bank, and we are ready to start creating new memories for the group.

"It was quite telling that this time around, we did not welcome any debutants into our first training session like we had in Cape Town, Singapore, Perth, Vancouver and New York. It shows that our coaches had a plan, made it work and that the players are settled and ready to deliver."

Brits said the Blitzboks can take confidence from already securing their place in next year's HSBC SVNS Series after winning the 2026 title, but stressed it offers no guarantees of success in the three-event World Championship.

"All the other teams are vying for the other seven spots, so they will be playing for survival basically," he said.

"We need to counter that urgency when we face Uruguay, Spain and Argentina in our pool. As usual, we will not look past that first match against Uruguay on Friday. That mindset worked well for us thus far, so we are not changing that."

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