Fresh approach for Springbok Sevens
A fresh approach to their preparations for their next two tournaments will hopefully rejuvenate the Springbok Sevens rugby squad as they look to regain their tournament-winning form in the Far East.
The next two tournaments of the HSBC Sevens World Series takes place from 27 to 29 March in Hong Kong and then in Tokyo from 4 to 5 April.
The Springbok Sevens are still searching for their first tournament win in Hong Kong. However, Powell stressed they will not be weighed down by previous results in Hong Kong. South Africa lost out to England in the quarterfinals last year but went on to win the Plate Final against Wales.
According to the Powell it is important to keep things in perspective: “Each of the remaining four tournaments are equally important, so we will view this (HK) as another World Series tournament, instead of heaping too much pressure on ourselves.”
The coach added: “Currently we are working hard to eliminate the mistakes we made in Wellington and Las Vegas. It was strange for me to see so many unnecessary basic errors.”
Powell hopes the slightly different approach to their normal training regime will have the desired effect. “We will tweak our training programme slightly for the next few days and adjust it so that the players have a little bit more time off, so hopefully they will come back fresh and rejuvenated,” said Powell.
South Africa are currently leading the World Series standings after six rounds. They have 93 points from two Cup wins and successive third place finishes in Wellington and Las Vegas. SA lead New Zealand by five points with Fiji third on 86. The top four teams at the end of the World Series qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
For the 40th edition of the hugely popular Hong Kong tournament, South Africa are drawn in Pool C alongside France, Argentina and Japan.
Related Posts
« Cheetahs side to tackle the Bulls in Bloem UJ out-muscle plucky Madibaz #VarsityCup »
