Captain Impi Visser says the Blitzboks want to “lay down a marker early” at the Dubai Sevens this weekend.
Visser made his first appearance at the traditional captains’ photo ahead of Saturday’s season-opening SVNS tournament
“It will be a no-excuses weekend for us,” he said. “We came prepared and are an experienced squad, so we just need to go out and make things happen on the field.
“We want to lay down a marker early and keep improving on that. We arrived here as the top-ranked team and want to show that it is still the case.”
The Blitzboks boast more combined experience than any other squad in Dubai – 339 SVNS tournament caps – with Argentina (331) and Spain (328) the next closest. Visser believes that seniority will be vital in the revamped eight-team format.
“It certainly helps to have heaps of experience, especially knowing how fast this game is and the intensity it’s played at,” he said. “We shouldn’t be surprised by anything from our opponents or the tournament itself.”
With every pool game carrying knockout-level stakes this season, Visser says the margin for error is tiny.
“Every match is crucial and slip-ups will be punished, so we need to keep our standards high from the start. There are other benefits to doing well here too. Coach Philip Snyman wants to bring players in during the season to build depth – performing well in Dubai helps him do that. We’re only as strong as the system.”
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The Blitzboks open their campaign against France, and Visser hopes a strong showing in Dubai will set the perfect tone for next week’s Cape Town SVNS.
“Another bonus for us, by doing well here, is that it will hopefully encourage more people to come to Cape Town next weekend,” he said. “We’d love nothing more than a packed stadium, but we need to do our part first.”
Blitzboks squad: Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser (c), Zain Davids, Ricardo Duarttee, Ronald Brown, Selvyn Davids, Shilton van Wyk, Mfundo Ndhlovu, Donavan Don, David Brits, Zander Reynders, Tristan Leyds.
Blitzboks’ pool fixtures (Saturday, SA times):
vs France, 11:32am
vs Fiji, 2:16pm
vs Argentina, 6:34pm
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