Challenger series - Round Three
PREVIEW: The captains of the eight women’s and men’s teams gathered near Henryk Reyman Munical Stadium on Thursday against the backdrop of one of Krakow’s iconic tram’s which proudly displayed a promotion of the tournament.
The 16 teams qualified following two days of thrilling action in Round Two of the Challenger Series, which took place in Cape Town in March and saw Portugal’s men’s team and Kenya Women’s taking the top honours.
At the end of this weekend’s World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger, the four men’s and women’s teams with the most cumulative points gained across the three Challenger rounds will qualify for the HSBC SVNS Play-off competition in Los Angeles on May 3 and 4.
For the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad, though, there is a clear view of what needs to be achieved at the Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium on Friday and Saturday and how to reach those planned objectives, according to Mathrin Simmers.
“We have a clear understanding of what we want to get out of this tournament and what is needed to get where we want to be,” said Simmers, the team’s captain, before their pool games against Poland, Czechia and Argentina.
“We need a top-four finish, which will guarantee entry into the HSBC SVNS qualification tournament in Los Angeles in May.
“Our reviews after the two tournaments in Cape Town painted a positive picture, but also valuable lessons, which we took to heart.
“On those two weekends, we repeated the same error in the two matches we lost, and that was not to use and treasure possession.
“That resulted in us in having to defend for long periods and in the end, conceding tries that cost us the game.
“We worked on that and have our game plan ready for Poland, Czechia and Argentina on Friday.
“We have played and beaten both European sides in Cape Town, but that was then, and this is now.
“We will face Poland at home in front of a good crowd, and they will not only be fired up but desperate as well.
“Both of our European opponents still have an outside chance to finish in the top four, and this is their final opportunity to do so. We need to be ready.”
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The local conditions and knowledge of the playing surface will also help the hosts and the neighbouring Czech side, but Simmers said they adapted well to the cold since arriving from a much warmer Stellenbosch.
“We had a really good session here, and coach Renfred [Dazel] even joked that we need to move to a colder home base as it seemed that the snappy weather improved our session,” Simmers smiled.
They will be ready for all challenges, South Africa’s most-capped women’s sevens player confirmed:
“We have enough experience to weather the big moments, and the two debutants have slotted in very nicely.
“Vianca [Boer] has been with us at Stellenbosch for a couple of months now and will do well in her debut.
“Patience [Mokone] impressed us all with her ability to switch codes. She has really adapted well, and I can’t wait to see her perform on the weekend.
“We are in a good position coming into the tournament, but that means nothing if we don’t rock up on day one with a solid showing against Poland and that will be our main focus heading to the tournament tomorrow.”
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Meanwhile, Natalia Pamieta, Poland’s Women’s captain, commented at the captains shoot: “It is always very special to play in front of the home crowd.
“There will be our families and friends at the stadium, and it always gives as extra motivation and some kind of super power.
“We want to play to our strengths and show the best rugby we can play.
“We want to do it for our fans, friends, families but also for ourselves.
Jaroslaw Parasal, president of the Polish Rugby Union also added: “The fact that this is the only World Rugby Sevens tournament in Europe this year means a lot for us.
“We have a great partnership with World Rugby that we continue to build on from hosting the HSBC Sevens Challenger Final women’s tournament last year to this year’s expanded tournament.
“We do our best to make another step forward this year, grow the sport in the region and ensure the teams have a great time.
“This event is really special for Polish rugby, and there are fans coming from all around the country to be with us this weekend, so we hope for a fantastic spectacle!”
The action in Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium kicks off at 09.00 local time (GMT+2) on Friday, April 11, with the pool matches.
The knock-outs begin on Saturday April 12 at 11.00 with the men’s and women’s Finals at 17.47 and 18.15 respectively.
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Men’s pools:
Pool A: Chile, Germany, Samoa, Tonga
Pool B: Canada, Japan, Madagascar, Portugal,
Women’s pools:
Pool A: Belgium, Colombia, Kenya, Thailand
Pool B: Argentina, Czechia, Poland, South Africa
Schedule
(Kick-off is local time GMT plus two hours)
Men
Chile v Samoa (09.00)
Germany v Tonga (09.22)
Portugal v Japan (9.44)
Canada v Madagascar (10.06)
Chile v Tonga (12.30)
Germany v Samoa (12.52)
Portugal v Madagascar (13.14)
Canada v Japan (13.36)
Germany v Chile (16.00)
Samoa v Tonga (16.22)
Canada v Portugal (16.44)
Japan v Madagascar (17.06)
Women
Columbia v Thailand (10.28)
Kenya v Belgium (10.50)
Argentina v Czech Republic (11.12)
South Africa v Poland (11.34)
Columbia v Belgium (13.58)
Kenya v Thailand (14.20)
Argentina v Poland (14.42)
South Africa v Czech Republic (15.04)
Kenya v Columbia (17.28)
Thailand v Belgium (17.50)
South Africa v Argentina (18.12)
Czech Republic v Poland (18.34)
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