Tough Hong Kong examination for Springbok Sevens
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The Springbok Sevens team will not get carried away by the success in their previous tournament, when they broke their long Cup drought with victory at the USA Sevens in Las Vegas.
Team captain Kyle Brown said although there was a huge measure of relief within the team after achieving their first Cup success since April 2009, his team knows they will have to brace themselves for a tough examination at the next two tournaments in Hong Kong and Adelaide.
“As much as we enjoyed the success in the USA, we know that the HSBC Sevens World Series is a long stretch over eight tournaments. There are still four tournaments left and we aim to be competitive in each one of them,” said Brown.
“The Las Vegas victory came as a result of hard work. Our aim in Hong Kong is to focus on the first match, stick to the game plan, making the tackles when we have to and to use the opportunities when they arrive.
“Sevens is such a fast-paced game that you don’t want to look too far ahead. The teams are all very competitive and that means that you must really be switched on from the first whistle,” explains the SA Sevens skipper.
Brown has been in inspirational form, leading from the front in an in each of the four tournaments so far. The former University of Cape Town flanker is very reluctant to speak about his own performances, but instead chooses to credit his team mates for their contribution.
He scored four tries in Las Vegas, which pushed his overall totally for the season to 16 tries – a remarkable achievement for a forward.
“I suppose I’ve been lucky to pop up at the right moment, but that is a result of a lot of hard work done by the other guys in the team.”
He is extremely glad that Cecil Afrika has made a complete recovery from his jaw injury which ruled him out of action for two months: “Cecil is a class-act and it was good to have him back in Las Vegas after he missed the Wellington tournament. He is unselfish and one of those players that can create something out of nothing and we are just glad to have him on our side.”
The SA Sevens captain described Hong Kong as the standout tournament of the World Series. “There are so many factors which make Hong Kong such a massive tournament. The whole city through its weight behind the tournament and the fact that more points are on offer, make this a much sought-after title to win. The atmosphere is unbelievable and we always enjoy playing there,” added Brown.
The team will complete its preparations on Saturday at the NWU-Puk Rugby Institute in Potchefstroom, where they have been based since Tuesday. They leave on Sunday for the Far East.
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