Blitzbokke plan to shut their backdoor
THE Blitzbokke will go into the Cape Town leg of the World Sevens Series as favourites this weekend and they make no apologies for identifying defence as their most important attacking weapon.
The South Africans go into this weekend’s tournament on the back of impressive performances in Dubai last weekend‚ which saw them beat Fiji 26-14 in the Cup final.
Earlier the Blitzbokke also thrashed New Zealand 40-0 in the quarterfinals and Wales 36-5 in the semifinals‚ while they conceded only seven tries in six matches.
The squad went through their paces on a hot morning in the shadow of Cape Town Stadium‚ which will host the tournament at the weekend‚ and they looked sharp and focused.
Attacking drills‚ kick-offs and restarts were the main focus of the session in front of the watching media‚ but their defence and breakdown work will be done away from prying eyes.
It’s an area of the game that the Blitzbokke have already elevated after one tournament this season‚ and one that other teams would have to match to beat them.
Forward Dylan Sage‚ who made his Blitzbokke debut in Cape Town last year‚ was unapologetic that SA’s first priority is defence.
“We work incredibly hard on our defence because we are a defence team‚” said Sage.
“In Dubai we weren’t impatient at the breakdown and we backed our defence when we didn’t have the ball.
“We were composed and waited for the right time to make turnovers at the breakdown or cause a disruption.”
Captain Philip Snyman and key hardman Kwagga Smith sat out training in Greenpoint yesterday as a precaution for minor bumps and bruises‚ but both will be fit for the weekend.
The Blitzbokke are the defending champions at their home tournament and have also not lost in SA for three years after winning in Port Elizabeth twice prior to the tournament’s move to the Mother City in 2015.
Sage was also positive that the team would manage high expectations after winning in Dubai last week and in Cape Town last year.
“There is always going to be pressure because it’s our home tournament‚ so we will embrace it‚” he said.
“We played some really good rugby in Dubai and that gives us confidence going in to this week.”
Ruhan Nel‚ who has performed well in Dubai‚ was also comfortable that carrying the favourites tag over Olympic and reigning World Series champions Fiji sat well with the team.
“It is [being favourites] something that the team has touched on‚” said Nel.
“The pressure will continue to build as the week wears on.
“Rugby is born into us [as South Africans] so the public will always expect a Bok side to win at home. “We won’t hammer on about it‚ though. “We would rather focus on this tournament in isolation. “We won’t want for motivation. “The opportunity to play in front of your family and friends only comes once a year‚ and so this is a massive occasion for all of us.”