South Africa’s Muller du Plessis runs to score a try during the HSBC Paris Sevens Series rugby third place final between South Africa and USA, at the Stade Jean Bouin in Paris on June 2, 2019. (Photo by Lucas BARIOULET / AFP)
Blitzboks’ Du Plessis eager to bounce back from 2020 disappointment
‘It’s not how hard you fall, but how quickly you get up’ is a well-used slogan in sport and for the Blitzboks Muller du Plessis, this is true in many ways.
South Africa’s Muller du Plessis runs to score a try during the HSBC Paris Sevens Series rugby third place final between South Africa and USA, at the Stade Jean Bouin in Paris on June 2, 2019. (Photo by Lucas BARIOULET / AFP)
The Blitzboks were forced to accept second place in a truncated World Sevens Series last season and young star Muller du Plessis says the pandemic-induced shutdown hit the team hard.
The 2019/20 season was cut short well before it could reach its anticipated climax at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Back to the grind
The Blitzboks are now preparing for two World Sevens Series warm-up events in Spain and hoping to pick up where they left off having hit fine form just as the lockdowns hit.
Du Plessis, who has had more than his fair share of injury setbacks, says that he tried to use the time away from the game to improve as a player and a person.
“Yes, it came at a bad time for us when the World Series got cancelled,” Du Plessis said in Stellenbosch.
“Last year, we had just won the tournament in Los Angeles, put in some good performances in Vancouver a week later and were building up nicely towards the last four legs of the World Series and the Olympic Games in Tokyo. We came down from a pretty high level, down to nothing.
“It was tough from running around and scoring tries the one week and doing stretches and exercises in your back yard a couple of weeks later, and not seeing your team-mates for weeks. So, from a team perspective it was bad.
“From an individual perspective, I decided to make the most of the situation, trying to work on things in my game and to sharpen the tools of the trade a bit.
“We also had the opportunity to get some niggles healed and very importantly, we could spend time with our families. That is something that is not always possible during a normal season, but the six months away from the game really helped in that regard.”
“We had the chance to come back stronger and better, not only as players, but as people too and that was great and something that we must now go out and embrace.”
That Blitzbok buzz
Du Plessis is thrilled to be back in the Blitzbok environment, albeit with a few changes to observe health protocols.
“We are very keen to just go out and have some fun out there, to be able to lace up the boots and play again,” he said.
“As a squad, we love playing together in matches and these tournaments in Spain would be an ideal opportunity to do so again.
“These forthcoming matches will all be part of our preparation for Tokyo, so it will be pretty important,” said Du Plessis.
“Everyone wants to be in that team, but first we will need to do what is best for the team – and that is to train as hard as we can, prepare well for those matches and do your part. We are all keen and ready.”
