Kok relishes Sevens return
Kok's stint with the losing semifinalists was exactly what he needed to improve his confidence.
"The XVs were important for me from a confidence point of view. It has a more physical approach and I needed that. With Sevens, it is more about fitness and speed, two elements of the game I enjoy, so to change back is easy for me.
"It is great to be back in the system again. I missed it dearly. It is just so amazing to be part of this squad," Kok said.
The South African squad is packed with experience and although they have played together many times, Kok stresses the importance of getting real match situations into the legs and minds.
"It is crucial to play a couple of serious matches to get the combinations right and to enter the opening two legs of the season with good momentum.
"We need to find each other and connect as a team again in a competitive environment, and tournaments like these are great to get that going. We are looking to this tournament to achieve exactly that," he added.
The South African Sevens squad is currently in Namibia where they are preparing to participate in their first tournament of the new season as they prepare for the opening legs of the World Sevens Series in Dubai and Cape Town.
They open their tournament against Germany on Saturday before taking on an All Stars team, Namibia and Kenya followed by the knockout phase of the competition.
This tournament will serve Kok well as he looks to return as an integral part of the Blitzboks' World Series campaign after missing nine of the 10 tournaments in the 2015/16 season due to knee surgery after the Series opener in Dubai.
