Preview: Glasgow Sevens
Never before has the penultimate round of a Sevens World Series carried so much weight as in Glasgow, Round Eight of the 2014/15 series - which gets underway at the Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday.
With the top three separated by just 12 points, it is all to play for in the hunt for the 16th Series title.
South Africa currently sit first on 129 points as the only side to have made every Cup semifinal so far this season, with Fiji (125) and New Zealand (120) hot on their heels.
The BlitzBoks face defending series and Glasgow champions New Zealand in their third and final pool match in one of the standout matches on Day One
Fourth-placed England's encounter with fifth-placed Australia will also be one to look out for in the third match of the day.
At the other end Japan will be hoping to pick up where they left off in Tokyo and close the gap on Portugal, who are placed 14th, in the knowledge that the team placed 15th after London will be relegated for next season.
That side's replacement, Russia, will also be looking to show their ability against the core sides they will be facing at every round next season.
Consistency is a word often used by coaches on the series as the key component to win and Neil Powell's side have finished in the top three in six of the seven rounds so far, only falling to fourth in the opening round on Australia's Gold Coast.
As well as putting the BlitzBoks in pole position to win a second World Series title and first since 2009, their form leaves them a Cup quarterfinal away from also booking their place at Sevens' debut in the Olympic Games in Rio next year.
Two of their stars this season, Albertus Smith and leading try scorer Seabelo Senatla have both spoken about the impact the Olympics has had and will continue to have on Sevens as the countdown to 6 August 2016 - when the Sevens competition will begin.
"I think the Olympics play a big role in Sevens rugby. It will make the sport a lot bigger," said Smith, who has appeared in three dream teams this season.
Senatla, scorer of 39 tries so far, added: "I think it [the Olympics] will really benefit the sport in terms of recognition and popularity.
"A lot of people are going to watch it, catch on to the brand, which is exciting, fast and they will follow it.
"There is added pressure to come in the top four, but we don't look at it that way, we take it one tournament at a time, and we know if our processes are right, the rest will take care of itself."
As for the series South Africa, who have won two Cup titles this season, but not since their home tournament in Port Elizabeth last year, Smith that the focus is on their processes to ensure they maintain their consistency.
"I think if we are in form, we can enjoy it [the last two rounds] as a team and play for each other, and there's happiness and friendship in the team, then that is when we are at our best," added Smith.
"We must stick to the basics and continue doing what we did to get to the top. We're not trying to focus on staying number one, but to focus on our own standard and not do anything fancy, this will in turn look after itself."
Pools:
Pool A: England, France, Australia, Russia
Pool B: South Africa, New Zealand, Samoa, Kenya
Pool C: Fiji, Scotland, Wales, Portugal
Pool D: Canada, Japan, United States, Argentina
Schedule for Day One
(Kick-off is local time - GMT plus one hour)
Japan v Argentina - 10.52
England v Australia - 11.14
France v Russia - 11.36
South Africa v Samoa - 11.58
New Zealand v Kenya - 12.20
Fiji v Wales - 12.42
Scotland v Portugal - 13.04
Canada v Argentina - 13.36
Japan v United States - 13.58
England v Russia - 14.20
France v Australia - 14.42
South Africa v Kenya - 15.04
New Zealand v Samoa - 15.26
Scotland v Wales - 16.10
United States v Argentina - 16.47
Canada v Japan - 17.09
Australia v Russia - 17.31
England v France - 17.53
Samoa v Kenya - 18.15
South Africa v New Zealand - 18.37
Wales v Portugal - 18.59
Fiji v Scotland - 19.21
Sources: @WorldRugby7s & @BlitzBoks