Blitzboks have to focus to keep up momentum

THE South African Sevens team has, in recent times, taken on a mantle of excellence and expectation. Their style of play has become synonymous with the Blitzbok brand of rugby, and that is the exact brand that coach Neil Powell wants to see today in Singapore.

The Blitzboks have a little more work to do to conclude what has been a mostly successful season thus far. They have led the entire Sevens World Series from the first tournament in Dubai, where they struck gold, but have been reined in over the past few legs by Fiji.

Now, with the disappointment of a fourth-place finish at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games still fresh in the memory, Powell is wanting his team to go back to their successful best.

“I would like the guys to go out and do what we do best and what made us successful over the last couple of years,” said Powell at the conclusion of their preparations for the for the eighth tournament of the Series.

“We need to finish off the opportunities we create and as important, keep a clean slate on defence and not concede tries.”

Their day one experience will be a real testing one as they face tough opponents in Canada, Argentina and Samoa.

“We have a tough pool – Samoa is first up and that is where our focus will be. They are dangerous if they find their rhythm,” said Powell.

“The Canadians are up next. They are the defending champions and could be dangerous – they have been on the road for five weeks and should have good momentum. Argentina, our final pool opponents, beat us last time we played them (in the semi-finals in Las Vegas) and they will be confident.”

Should the Blitzboks get through today mostly unscathed, their attention will shift to tomorrow and the business end of the tournament as they look to expand their slender three-point lead over Fiji, as well as the New Zealanders behind them.

“This is without doubt a very competitive series and teams such as Fiji and New Zealand are playing fantastic sevens at the moment,” said Dylan Sage, one of the players emerging into a regular fixture in this Blitzboks side.