New Zealand 7s Coach Gordon Tietjens believes South Africa is under pressure to defend the IRB World 7s Series title this season.

South Africa lost in the Cup quarterfinal to Fiji in last weekend's Dubai 7s tournament.

Tietjens said if Paul Treu's men fail to win in George this weekend, then there could be a new winner this time. He said all the top teams have a chance of winning the IRB World 7s Series.