Durban — The Blitzboks looked rusty in their 21-0 win over Uruguay in their only game of the opening day of the Hong Kong Sevens, but they at least have a foundation for the busy Saturday ahead of them, with Great Britain and France lying in wait in Pool B.
New Blitzbok coach Sandile Ngcobo said he was not too stressed about the slow start against World Sevens Series newcomers Uruguay.
“There were some nerves, the ball was quite greasy and the guys were sweating as well, so that all contributed to the slow start,” said Ngcobo.
One step, and he's away! 👋
Selvyn Davids making it look so easy out there 👊#HSBC7s | #HK7s pic.twitter.com/feXuDuLtNZ
“It was the win we wanted as we are only preparing for the next game, so the focus was on Uruguay and beating them. We created enough opportunities, but did not finish all of them, so we will look at ourselves at how we can do better and come back strongly."
Blitzbok playmaker Ronald Brown added that their attack needs to be sharper. Brown scored 11 of the 21 points against the South Americans, but said the team did not connect the way they wanted to on the attack.
“The ball was a bit wet and that had an impact I suppose, but I did feel we were not as sharp as we could be,” said Brown, adding that he was very happy to hear that he could play on the weekend after a Covid-19 test earlier in the week came back inconclusive.
“Waiting on the result was a bit troubling, but I am just happy that I was cleared to play. I was blessed that I could go out and do what I love, and I am very grateful for that.”
Brown had an unfortunate moment where he lost the ball behind the opposition’s tryline, but he soon rebounded with a well-taken try, and he could smile about it afterward: “Hopefully the coaches won't be too hard on me because of that, as the ball was really slippery.”
The Blitzboks face Great Britain at 7.10am and France at 11.05am (SA times), with both clashes live on SuperSport. Earlier on Friday, France scored a 34-0 victory over Great Britain in their pool encounter.
IOL Sport