JOHANNESBURG - Not only will the BlitzBoks be up against unknown opposition in Chile in Vancouver this weekend, they’re also going to have to deal with the chilly weather conditions – something they don’t often have to consider on the World Sevens Series circuit.
Neil Powell’s men are aiming to win their fifth tournament out of six this weekend, having already captured titles in Las Vegas (last week), Wellington, Sydney and Dubai. They are the runaway leaders of the series.
But with several senior players missing from the squad and conditions expected to be somewhat foreign over the coming days, Powell’s men will be up against it.
But player of the tournament last week, Rosko Specman, says it matters little what the conditions will be this Saturday and Sunday, even if it snows.
“Our hands might be cold, but our hearts are warm because we are together as a squad,” said an upbeat Specman. “Also, there is always some good coffee available in Philip Snyman’s room,” he quipped.
The BlitzBoks will face Chile, Kenya and England on Day One on Friday.
In spite of the quality showing last week, Specman said the team were hoping to show an improvement in performance this week.
“We will never be satisfied, there is always room for improvement, even if it is just one percent,” said Specman.
“We were not at our best in Las Vegas. We made a number of errors and our one-on-one defence was not ideal, so we have a lot to work on this week.”
Meanwhile, Stedman Gans, who has replaced the injured Justin Geduld in the squad of 12, said he couldn’t wait to get onto the field.
“This is a massive opportunity for me. I am here to learn, but also to do my best when I do get the chance,” said Gans, who represented the Junior Springboks last year.
“My goals have not changed from last week. I still want to end this trip a better sevens player than when I left South Africa, so the fact that I might actually be playing is a nice bonus.
“It is almost unreal that I watched guys such as Cecil Africa, Branco du Preez and Rosko on TV all the time and now I am touring with them, with the possibility of actually playing in a tournament with them. They are very supportive and have all the experience, and they don't mind sharing that with me.”
The BlitzBoks, winners of 28 out of 30 matches in the current series, kick off in Canada against unknown Chile at 9.18pm (SA time), with the next two matches scheduled for early Sunday morning (SA time), against Kenya at 12.54am and England at 4.34am.