Dubai: South Africa sevens coach Neil Powell is looking to set the foundations for another solid season at this weekend’s Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens — the opening leg of the 10-stage 2017/18 World Rugby Sevens Series.
The Dubai-leg and World Series defending champions, kicked-off this stage last year with a resounding win over Olympic champions Fiji, which saw them go onto dominate the season with a total five leg wins, to secure only their second World Series victory since first triumphing in 2008/09.
This year however, as well as their World Series title defence, the Springboks also have a Commonwealth Games title to defend in Australia in April, and a bid for their first World Cup title in America in July.
With all this going on, Powell, knows he needs to rotate his squad and, most importantly, get off to a good start in Dubai, where South Africa have previously won five times, two victories of which have come in the last three years.
“The key for us, especially coming into Dubai and the first game against Uganda on Saturday, is to lay a good foundation, not only for this tournament but also for the rest of the season,” said Powell, whose side also have Kenya and Canada in their group.
“If we can do our basics well in this tournament, it’s key for us to get a good foundation to take momentum and confidence into the next leg of the Series at home in Cape Town.”
Asked how he was going to juggle everything to ensure South Africa maintain dominance on all fronts, he said: “We’ve got a second team playing in the invitational as well, and it might be that players from that side have to come into certain tournaments to give key players a well-deserved rest ahead of the Commonwealth Games and World Cup to make sure we’re not overplayed but are actually peaking.
“It’s almost like the first day back at school,” he added of Dubai. “We’re a little excited but also nervous. We don’t actually know where our side is or where others are in terms of standard and form. But there will be an expectation for South Africa to be successful again.
“If we feel like there’s a target on our backs, I think we’re shifting focus to the wrong things, and worrying about our opponents and not what we want to achieve on the field to be successful again this season.
“The great thing is everybody is level again in the table and we can’t just think that we are going to start where we left off last season. We need to start again and get a good base to build upon, especially in that first game against Uganda.
“There’s new interest in this season due to the Commonwealth Games and World Cup. Australia have put in a lot of work in the off-season as have New Zealand, who have a new system and more permanent base now to work from, but it will take them a while to be number one again,” he added of the record 12-time World Series and six-time Dubai champions.
Meanwhile, asked about the possibility of becoming South Africa’s next 15s coach, he replied: “There’s a lot of discussion with Rassie Erasmus having come back from Ireland [to be Springboks director of rugby] and whether coach Allister Coetzee will stay or go.
“I think there will be a lot of movement. If they ask me to go I’d definitely do it, as it stands now I still have a contract with the sevens team until 2020, but whether it’s with sevens or 15s, the big thing is just making South Africa better and if I can contribute in any way I’d gladly do it.”
