Cape Town - Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell has lauded the performance of his less-experienced players after defeating Australia in the Cup final of the Seville Sevens on Sunday.
The 33-7 victory over Australia saw the Blitzboks claim a sixth consecutive World Sevens Series tournament title (their fourth straight in the current Series) while their success in the gold medal final also saw them equal New Zealand for the second-longest winning streak of all time with 34 straight wins.
“Guys like Darren Adonis and Shaun Williams did exceptionally well in their first start in a final of the World Series tournament,” he said.
“They showed that they can perform at this level. The future is bright for this squad for sure. The performances of Darren and Shaun in their first final and the way Christie Grobbelaar played, show that.
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“Christie has not lost a final yet, which is amazing. You often find with the inexperienced guys that they make mistakes and take wrong decisions on the field, but for the most part the way in which they executed their roles and responsibilities were excellent, and they have a bright future ahead of them.
“Also, somebody such as Sako Makata, who had an interrupted start to his career because of injuries, is starting to show why he is an asset to our team.
“Saturday was not our best performance, as we conceded a number of tries and we pride ourselves on our defence.
“We had an early morning before the two matches on Sunday and just went through the previous day's play and we suggested one or two changes. Credit to the players who took it on board and executed that with the desired results.”
The team will arrive back in Cape Town on Tuesday. The next tournament is in Singapore on 9 and 10 April, when South Africa will face USA, Kenya and Canada in their three Pool A matches.
@WynonaLouw
IOL Sport