TUNIS – Springbok Women's Sevens coach Paul Delport said his squad are prepared and motivated to deliver the goods at the Rugby Africa Women's Sevens tournament that starts in Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium in Monastir, Tunisia on Saturday.
South Africa will face Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia in Pool B of the competition tomorrow. Kenya, Senegal, Botswana, Ghana, Tunisia, Madagascar, Morocco and Mauritius are the other countries vying for the title of the best team in Africa.
Delport said they are ready to go: “We play Uganda first up in the morning and that will be a steep one, as they are a very strong side.
“We have some clips of their matches played in Hong Kong earlier this year, so have an idea what to expect,” the coach explained.
South Africa played against Zimbabwe earlier this year in a warm-up tournament in Hermanus and Delport said they analysed that match as well.
“Yes, we had a look at that footage and prepared accordingly. The squad worked well the last couple of weeks, and I am confident of us getting it right on the day,” he said.
The final match of the afternoon is against Zambia and Delport believes the experienced core of his side will be able to adapt to anything coming their way in that match.
“We had some good work done in Stellenbosch before departure and we are ready,” said Delport.
“The top two sides will go through to the qualifying tournament of the HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series next year, so we are aware of what is at stake for us. Despite that pressure, we should be okay. We will focus on our objectives and how we want to play.”
Strike runner and utility back Nadine Roos agreed with Delport's sentiments.
“We have played well in recent tournaments – we won both tournaments in France earlier this year and that was good for our confidence as a team,” said Roos.
“We also had a boost in local tournaments we played (in Pretoria, Hermanus and Knysna), as we could implement certain things into our structures. The fact that it worked for us was great for our morale as we feel comfortable in executing our game plan.”
Roos said they have a plan and confidence that they can execute that: “Everyone in the squad is also well aware of their roles and responsibilities this weekend. We came prepared.”
The pools are:
A: Kenya, Senegal, Botswana, Ghana
B: Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia
C: Tunisia, Madagascar, Morocco, Mauritius
SA Women's fixtures:
11h06: Uganda
13h20: Zimbabwe
15h54: Zambia