Powell pledges future to Blitzboks
The Blitzboks are currently in Stellenbosch where they have begun preparations for the Series as they look to go one better than last season's second place finish.
"It's a massive privilege and honour for me to coach the Springbok Sevens team as I'm passionate about the game and our country. I can't wait to get stuck in as we aim to raise the bar even further this season," Powell said.
The South Africans took second place in the 2015/16 Series, having qualified for all 10 quarterfinals, eight semi-finals and four finals (winning one). They then travelled to the Olympic Games in Rio in August, where they won the bronze medal.
Powell said it is good to see the squad looking refreshed and eager to tackle the new season.
"The guys needed the break and it is good to see them back here [in Stellenbosch]. They are keen to get going but this will not be an easy couple of weeks. We are going to work hard and there is lots of hard work to be done.
"The main focus areas we want to work on will be strength, conditioning and fitness. After that, we will start looking at skills training and game plans. We then have a warm-up tournament in Namibia [November] and then the season kicks off proper in Dubai and Cape Town," he added.
The 10-tournament series kicks off in Dubai on December 2 where South Africa are seeded second and will play the USA, Scotland and Uganda in Pool B. That leg will be followed by the Cape Town Sevens on December 10-11.
