Springbok Sevens face powerful Samoa in Adelaide pools

Feb 28 • International, World Rugby • 1450 Views • Comments Off on Springbok Sevens face powerful Samoa in Adelaide pools

The Springbok Sevens will face powerful champions Samoa in Pool D of the Australian International Rugby Sevens at the Adelaide Oval on 2-3 April. The IRB announced the pool draw for the sixth leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series earlier today.

Having won the Cup title in Las Vegas, their first since winning in Adelaide in April 2009, South Africa head Pool D. The resurgent Springbok Sevens face defending Adelaide and World Series champions Samoa as well as France and Japan.

Paul Treu, the Springbok Sevens coach, said his youthful looking team will face a stern test on match day one on the fast Adelaide Oval. “Samoa is a powerful team and we will have to be at our best to match them, while France and Japan are also very competitive.”

“Our young team did very well in the USA and while we will continue to give young players opportunities at this level, we also want to be competitive. In this regard, I think that the experience the youngsters gained from Las Vegas will hopefully serve the team well for the remainder of the Series,” said Treu.

Halfway through the campaign, South Africa finds itself in fifth position on the World Series log with 56 points. England and New Zealand are leading the Series standing with 80 and they are followed by Fiji and Samoa on 64 points each.

Hosts Australia was drawn in a tough Pool C alongside Fiji, USA and Tonga. New Zealand faces Kenya, Wales and Cook Islands in Pool A on match day one, while England face encounters against Argentina, Scotland and Papua New Guinea in Pool B.

Meanwhile, South Africa will start with their preparations for their next two tournaments tomorrow at the Danie Craven Stadium. The 22 man squad will assemble from 7.30am at their training base in Stellenbosch and all players will first undergo their customary medical check-up before they undertake their individual fitness assessments.

The final 12-man squad for Hong Kong and Adelaide will be announced in the next two weeks two and the squad will most probably include two more uncapped players.

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