Cape Town - Following their third straight World Sevens Series tournament win, Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell says the goal for next weekend’s tournament in Dubai is to ensure they pitch up even better mentally and physically.
On Saturday, the Blitzboks won their 18th consecutive World Series match, bettering the unbeaten run they achieved in the 2008/09 season.
ALSO READ: Stylish Blitzboks hammer United States to claim Dubai Sevens title
Their victory in Dubai also took the Blitzboks to a record eighth tournament win in the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking after the final, Powell said: “I'm obviously very happy with today's performances, especially after our discussion last night when we said we had to work better in our system,” said Powell, who cautioned that his players won’t rest on their laurels.
“We wanted to look after the ball and to be better in defence and attack. Today we were clinical and it was an amazing performance by the team to beat such a strong USA team.
“We will obviously do a review of our performance and see in which areas we can improve. There's always room for improvement and we will be hard on ourselves to make sure we are mentally and physically ready for next weekend.”
Team captain Siviwe Soyizwapi, who finished the tournament with seven tries, praised his side - which featured a good dose of youngsters - for their efforts.
Just Selvyn Davids doing Selvyn Davids things 🔥#Dubai7s | #HSBC7s | @Blitzboks pic.twitter.com/1lopeLxEMS
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) November 27, 2021
“I am really proud of the guys and the effort,” said Soyizwapi.
“We took a while to get into our stride, on defence and attack, and we showed glimpses of how we wanted to play yesterday. So, I'm really glad we could peak at the right time in the final.
“We are blessed with some great playmakers and we have a really good balance, however, there is always room for improvement. Even though the final (performance) looked so crisp, there were some defensive lapses and we let in a try.
“So, we will come back next weekend and hope to carry that (momentum) over to the next tournament.”
📢 A final message from the winning men's captain, Siviwe Soyizwapi 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦#Dubai7s | #HSBC7s pic.twitter.com/ti6lxXuwHY
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) November 27, 2021
“This week we couldn’t have any fans in the stadium and I know they would have loved to be here.
“But to everyone who watched us on television and getting up early to see us play, it’s really appreciated and we felt (the support) all the time over here.”
On Day One of the Dubai event, the Blitzboks swept aside Ireland, Japan and Great Britain. On Day Two, they beat Australia in the quarters and overcame Argentina in their penultimate fixture of the day before thumping the USA in the decider.
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