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Powered by an elite defence, South Africa has won four of the five tournaments played so far on the 2016-17 World Rugby Sevens Series.

“Defensively, they’re so solid,” said Canada’s Nathan Hirayama. “Plus they have so many guys with real game-breaking ability.

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“From one to 13 they’re so solid. Some of the guys that they bring off of the bench are arguably some of the best in the world in their positions, so talk about impact off the bench,” he added.

Canada has played South Africa in two of the last three tournaments, and made as hard a physical push as any team has on the circuit this year. And even then, the BlitzBoks have come away with wins (21-5 in a cup semifinal in Wellington, N.Z., in January, 26-7 this past weekend in pool play in Las Vegas).

“We’ve tried to take them on at their own game and have had some small success, but still not enough to get the better of them this season,” Hirayama said. “They are the best team in the world for a reason; they seem to be in a very good place as a team.”