AUDIO: Blitzboks seek perfection ahead of Cape Town
The Springbok Sevens team won a second Dubai Sevens title in as many years at The Sevens Stadium on Saturday and again took an early lead in the World Rugby Sevens Series.
The Blitzboks outplayed New Zealand 24-12 in a hard-fought final to keep their unbeaten record in Dubai in 2017 intact, following wins over Samoa (26-10) and Fiji (12-7) in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the tournament respectively.
Springbok Sevens captain, Philip Snyman, had lots of praise for his teammates and management after they were crowned champions again.
"It was pretty pleasing to be back on the field with all the familiar faces and everybody delivered. We realised that although it was the same old faces, we needed a new effort and focus as this is a brand new season with new goals and objectives," Snyman said.
"We have seen in the past that a good start in Dubai does give you momentum for the rest of the series, so that was pleasing that we could start on such a positive note. Also, we now look forward to the Cape Town Sevens next weekend, our only opportunity to play in front of our home crowd."
South Africa will face Russia, France, and Kenya in Cape Town next weekend.
HIGHLIGHTS: @Blitzboks win big in Dubai to kick start their #HSBC7s 2018 campaign pic.twitter.com/VCE2zHWBly
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) December 2, 2017
Springbok Sevens coach, Neil Powell, said every tournament win has a special feeling.
"Each one has its unique circumstances and effort, so this is really pleasing for me as a coach and for us as a group. We had a number of players who played fifteens during our off season and they joined us late, but I was very impressed with the way they got back into the sevens groove and culture. It helps to have a solid sevens foundation," Powell said.
"Credit to the players, they picked themselves up mentally. We did make some defensive errors, so there is work to be done if we want to be successful in Cape Town.
"But overall very happy. We will enjoy this win and then start focussing on next weekend once we arrive back in South Africa,"
