Springbok Sevens Coach Powell Praises Character of Triumphant Blitzboks

Springbok Sevens coach, Neil Powell, on Sunday acknowledged that his team’s victory in the Wellington Sevens tournament, in New Zealand, was especially ‘pleasing’.

The 26-5 win over Fiji in the final was only the Blitzboks’ second tournament win at this venue since 2002, when South Africa won with Powell as a player in the squad.

‘That was my first win as a Blitzbok and this is my first here as a coach, so it is pleasing, especially as we came so close last year. I will remember the win, but also because of the tremendous character showed by the team,’ Powell said.

‘We have set a standard for ourselves now and if we want to make the top four in every tournament, we will need to be consistent in all our phases of play.

‘The guys are trusting the system and the system is looking after them and as long as that happens, we should do well,’ Powell said.

Blitzbok captain, Philip Snyman, said the hard work during the break was worth it. ‘We worked really hard after Christmas, and we played some great rugby this weekend.

Seabelo Senatla was named the HSBC Player of the Final. ‘I am going to miss sevens for a while but I will be coming back next season. It is an incredible vibe and atmosphere. It’s beautiful to be a part of,’ he said.

Senatla was rounded when Fiji scored their only try in the final, but said the team stayed calm. ‘It was all about keeping calm and starting again. We have a great bond, the players play for each other. We have one big happy family, and we put our bodies on the line for each other,’ he said.

Meanwhile the pools for the Sydney Sevens next weekend have also been finalised.

A: South Africa, England, Kenya, Japan
B: Fiji, France, Wales, Samoa
C: Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea
D: Canada, Argentina, USA, Russia

Picture of try-scorers Ruhan Nel and Rosko Specman courtesy of Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Source: www.sascoc.co.za