Blitzboks

Ethan Dumortier (L) of France in against Siviwe Soyizwapi of South Africa during the Emirates Dubai 7s Rugby tournament semi final match between France and South Africa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 04 December 2021. Photo: EPA/ALI HAIDER

Blitzboks all set to light up inaugural Spain Sevens tournament

Skipper Siviwe Soyizwapi said the Blitzboks will look no further than the first game on day one as they look to keep their roll going.

Blitzboks

Ethan Dumortier (L) of France in against Siviwe Soyizwapi of South Africa during the Emirates Dubai 7s Rugby tournament semi final match between France and South Africa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 04 December 2021. Photo: EPA/ALI HAIDER

Blitzboks coach Neil Powell expressed his happiness with the way his team prepared for the first Spain Sevens. 

The first staging of the Spain Sevens takes place in Malaga from 21-23 January.

Blitzboks captain Siviwe Soyizwapi said the World Rugby Sevens Series-leading team will look no further than the first game on day one.

Blitzboks have put the work in

For Powell the work done in Stellenbosch in the last two weeks before their departure to Europe laid a good foundation for their challenge in Spain.

“We always do the hard yards at home and then just tweak whatever is needed after arriving at tournaments,” said Powell.

“Nothing has changed in that regard, and we have used our time here in Malaga to make sure the legs are stretched, and everyone is on the same page.”

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Powell said the easy transition from South Africa eased them into two solid days of preparation and they are as ready as they can be, but there will always be some nerves, despite the feeling of comfort.

“Our aim remains the same – to be as successful in this tournament as possible. We always reset to zero, but I will start with almost the same team as the one in Dubai,” he said.

“Having said that, the big difference between the Dubai team and this one is the fact that both Justin Geduld and Dewald Human are here as flyhalves and did not play in Dubai, where Selvyn Davids did an admirable job as stand-in flyhalf. Justin will play some matches at centre, including the opening match against Scotland.

“I am please both are back in the squad, but also keen to see the three other players who were not in Dubai. Sako Makata, Mfundo Ndhlovu and Darren Adonis are all really good players, so I am happy to have them fit and keen to see them perform.”

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Happy with the prep

Soyizwapi said the short turnaround from Dubai and the easy travel to Spain helped them in their preparations.

“It was a good turnaround for us from Dubai. We had the festive season in between, but everyone knew they needed to stay in shape over Christmas and New Year and we slotted back in training with no issues. That made the preparation for the two Spain events easier.”

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The Blitzbok skipper insisted they will start from scratch on Friday.

“We always do, with every tournament, despite what happened in Dubai. We are starting all over again, with the focus on our first match tomorrow.”

The Springbok Sevens squad keep a special internal honours board for those who achieved the milestone of having played in 35 World Series tournaments and this weekend, Soyizwapi will join Cecil Afrika, Kyle Brown, Chris Dry, Branco du Preez, Geduld, Frankie Horne, Fabian Juries, Werner Kok, Marius Schoeman, Seabelo Senatla, Philip Snyman and Mzwandile Stick as the 13th player out of 183 to achieve this landmark.

Blitzboks skipper honoured

The Blitzbok speedster will also receive a special embroidered match jersey, like the 12 before him, however, he was very humble about the achievement.

“It is great to achieve this, but even more so because I can share this moment not only with the squad that is here, but with the whole system, the players and management back home, including the Academy and their coaches and staff,” said Soyizwapi.

“They work just as hard as those here to prepare us for each tournament. If you look at the other players who have reached this milestone, I do feel very honoured – they have really made their name in the game, so to be associated with them is pretty special.”

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