Cape Town: Experience it, it’s here. This weekend, the Rugby World Cup Sevens will illuminate the Cape Town Stadium, and our beloved Blitzboks are in it to win it.
Tonight at 7:03 p.m., the South African Sevens squad will open their campaign against either Chile or Germany, and coach Neil Powell is hopeful that the players’ great training this week will help them deal with the pressure of playing in front of an anxious home audience.
“I am not denying that there will be pressure and that we will be anxious prior to the games. Nevertheless, for us, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for which we must strive.
“The preparation on the field has gone nicely. “We will operate from a place of confidence, not fear,” the seasoned coach declared Tuesday.
“Sevens levels the playing ground for everyone, and it only takes one bounce of the ball to fall behind 7-0. A peculiar game, to be honest, but one that we all enjoy despite its unpredictability.
“It (the knockout format) makes it a little more challenging, but it’s essentially a second day of the World Series. It complicates our plans, but we have prepared for both Chile and Germany, and then we will receive either Ireland or England.”
Powell is retiring from sevens rugby and will play for the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship following the World Cup, but Blitzboks captain Siviwe Soyizwapi aims to make this weekend memorable for him.
“We will absolutely attempt to win for the coach,” he stated. Not only as a coach, but also as a mentor and father figure, he has been so influential in all of our careers.
“He will be greatly missed once he departs, but we still have a couple of days to offer him a decent farewell.”
One last time… Neil Powell conducts his final pre-event press conference as coach of the Blitzboks. #BestOfUs#RWC7s @WorldRugby7s image: wIyZN0jyg
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) September 8, 2022
Tonight at Cape Town Stadium, the Springbok Women’s Sevens team will also begin their play against France (6.35pm kickoff).
“We have decided to personalize this tournament. Yesterday, co-captain Sizophila Solontzi stated, “This is our tournament, at our stadium, in front of our people.”
“Therefore, each player will play with this motivation in mind; we are playing for our country, after all.”
The three-day Sevens World Cup — the first to be held on the African continent – is projected to draw approximately 100,000 spectators.
In order to reduce traffic congestion, the City of Cape Town will provide complimentary MyCiTi shuttle services to stadium ticket holders.
From Friday at 8 a.m. to Sunday at 8 a.m., buses will leave the Civic Centre and Thibault Square MyCiTi stations every 15 minutes or when full.
@ashfakmohamed