USA Sevens happy with 'powerhouse' status
The Americans have improved in leaps and bounds in the sport in the last few seasons and their performance in last weekend's Dubai leg of the World Sevens Series has made them one of the team's to watch for the rest of the season.
They beat New Zealand twice and South Africa once on their way to a third-place finish in the United Arab Emirates. Their performance in the desert also silenced some of their critics who labelled their Cup win at the London Sevens last season a fluke.
Hughes, who was speaking on top of Signal Hill for the launch of the second leg in Cape Town, is well aware of everyone's expectations.
"Whene there are added expectations it does add a bit more pressure, but as a player that is what you want," said Hughes.
"You don't want to be part of a team that is expected to be languishing at the bottom of the rankings. While there is that added pressure, you want to continue to do well and just stick together as group and try and put as good a performance as you can."
Although the 23-year-old knows what his team is capable on the field, he does not think overconfidence will creep into the squad
"The experience and presence of Zack Test, the speed of Perry Baker and Carlin Isles and the never-say-die attitude in the team, is boosting our self-confidence.
"I won't say we are over-confident after our performances in Dubai, that would be arrogant, but we know now that we can beat any team on any day, just depends if we come to the party one game at a time," he added.
Hughes is also well aware of the impact Sevens is having in his country, especially after it's inclusion in the Olympic Games.
"Rugby and Sevens is really growing in the USA. It is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States and I think the inclusion of Rugby Sevens in the Olympics has really been a big part of that.
"As we look forward to Rio next year, it's only going to continue to grow and we hoping for that to be a big cause for the momentum to continue to pick up in the United States."
By Warren Fortune
@FortuneWarren
@rugby365.com
