CAPE TOWN – Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell wants his team to hit the right balance when it comes to attack and defence in Las Vegas this weekend.
The Blitzboks will look to bounce back in Nevada after one of their worst starts to the World Sevens Series in a long time.
Their Cape Town finish - where they ended third - has been their best result in the 2018-19 season. In Dubai they placed sixth, in Hamilton fourth and in Sydney fifth.
And now Powell - who is confident the “tries will come” - wants his charges to bump up their defence.
“When we were good on attack, our defence lacked, and vice versa - it’s something we need to improve on,” said Powell.
“This is especially true for our defence, where we are not keeping to our normal standards. We have a couple of exciting ball-runners here, so I am pretty sure the tries will come. It is keeping the opponents from scoring that will be the challenge.”
The Blitzboks will field a relatively young team in the United States, where they will meet Japan, Chile and England in Pool D on day one.
Quietly confident about their performance - #Blitzboks captain, Philip Snyman, chats all things @USASevensRugby and the @SamBoydStadium in Las Vegas. @CastleFreeSA @FNBSA @ASICS_ZA #TourDiaries pic.twitter.com/Xad8qgEXe1
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) February 26, 2019
Four players will take to the pitch at Sam Boyd Stadium for the first time, and Powell is looking forward to seeing the energy the new guys will bring, while he also reckons the extra day - due to an earlier arrival - will help the team in fine-tuning their preparations.
“The new guys have now done the long-haul trip and know what it feels like. They are still bringing good energy and I am keenly awaiting their performances,” said Powell.
“We had a short turn-around from Sydney, which means that time to prepare for this tournament was not ideal.
“The extra day will suit us, as we will have more than enough time to adapt to the time difference and the long travel, and it gives us another session to iron out the small issues that plagued our play in the previous two tournaments.”
@WynonaLouw
Cape Times