Dazel encouraged by Bok Women’s Sevens’ progress
Springbok Women’s Sevens coach Renfred Dazel said on Wednesday he was encouraged by the progress his team made in the closing stages of their first season on the Women’s World Series and he was confident that this would set them in good stead to retain their place as a core team next season.
The Bok Women’s Sevens had a baptism of fire this season and finished at the foot of the log table among the core teams. But Dazel focused on the positives and said their main objective since the opening tournament was to grow and improve as a team.
“We always knew our opening season on the circuit (as a core team) would be tough, especially since the competition features the best teams in the world,” said Dazel. “However, we certainly learned several lessons as a team this season and we now know exactly what we need to do to compete against the best. I am pleased with the improvement we made in the last two tournaments and this experience will benefit us as we prepare for the 2015/2016 World Series Qualifier later in the year.”
Dazel said while there was hard work ahead for his team to reach a level at which they could create a few upsets in the series, there were sufficient signs to show that they had improved as a team.
“In the first few tournaments we suffered heavy defeats and we battled to score tries,” said Dazel. “But as the season progressed we tightened up our defence and we started scoring tries. In fact, we left a few possible tries out on the park in the England and Amsterdam tournaments which could have placed us in a better position in those legs. But nevertheless it was fantastic to see the commitment and determination the team showed on the field toward the end of the season, and it was particularly encouraging that even when the scoreboard favoured the opposition, the players did not give up. I have no doubt that we are a better team than we were this time last season, and we are determined to continue improving.”
The team returned from Amsterdam on Sunday, and will spend the next week and a half at home with their families. They will reassemble on June 8 to begin their preparations for the World Series Qualifier. The venue and tournament date, however, will be announced at a later stage.
Meanwhile, Springbok Women’s Sevens forward Rachelle Geldenhuys, who returned home following the London series due to injury, will have surgery to her knee on Friday. She is expected to be sidelined for two months.
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