Sevens Boks out to right their own wrongs

Paul Treu © Gallo Images

It may be true that good teams learn from their mistakes, and great teams don't repeat them, but Friday's George Sevens tournament offers Paul Treu's Springbok Sevens team a perfect opportunity to prove exactly which one they are.

After they relinquished their crown in Dubai last week in disappointing fashion, the BlitsBokke have been searching for reasons as to just why they were so flat after an impressive first day in the desert tournament last weekend.

But in a week where they have both the pressure of being defending champions as well as the home nation in George, there has been precious little time to reflect on the problems of the last weekend ahead of this tournament.

After all, a week in which a key veteran like Neil Powell was ruled out would have been bad enough for any team. But couple that with Deon Helberg's hair-raising plane crash on Tuesday, an illness in Treu's immediate family and a disciplinary fracas that saw Rayno Benjamin withdrawn less than 24 hours before the tournament and it is easy to see why the Boks may be feeling the pressure at Outeniqua Park this weekend.

Especially considering their high expectations in Dubai, where they wanted to start their IRB World Series defence off on a high, and ended up sixth on the points table. If George is also a disappointment, it will leave them with a lot of work to do in the remaining six tournaments to catch the leaders.

Treu spent much time this week dealing with the disappointment of Dubai, but also teaching players that they simply can't wear the tag of World Series champions without living up to the expectations that come with it.

"Our expectations were very high last week in George," Treu told SuperRugby.co.za, "We perhaps held a bit too much back thinking our game plan would win it for us. The most disappointing part of it for us was the fact that we put so much into our preparations for the tournament and when you get there, things fall a bit flat and they don't work quite the way you wanted them to.

"So we didn't meet our own expectations at that tournament.That was why the players were still disappointed two days after arriving in George, because they didn't get the results they wanted to get in Dubai.

Part of the problem was that the players simply didn't adapt when the game plan started to unravel around them. Treu has given the green light this week for a bit more individualism - a must at this level and players now have the opportunity to change structures if they find it doesn't work on the field of play.

"It was important for us to get the players to understand there will be pressure on them. As we know, we were the ones to create the expectations with the way we performed last year. You can't search for that success but you dont want the pressure that it comes with it. We need to learn as a team to adjust our play if we don't meet our own levels of expectation on the field of play.

"There were opportunities on the field where we could have used other options in Dubai. Perhaps with a bit more vision and a pass or two here. If we go out this weekend and we look for the opportunities and we play according to them, we can only do well.

Even though Helberg's incident caught the headlines, Treu is not using it as an excuse, and believes, despite the disruptions that his team have had a wonderful week of preparation.

"It was a traumatic experience for him, but the way the players rallied around him and got him back into the structures of the team, it certainly helped to take his focus away from the incident. We also brought our lifeskills coach in to help, but in essence our preparation wasn't bad at all for a pressure week like this. We didn't overload the players with anything and we had a good week with a number of things. We are looking forward to the tournament."

Yet the bottom line for the Boks in front of their partisan fans is to be at their best. The expectations are there for them to repeat their feat of last year and claim their second George title. While their pool may be tough, Treu knows that if they are at their best, there isn't a team in the world that can beat them.

"Zimbabwe did well last week and they will be tough in our pool. Our players know what our potential was in that game against Kenya last week (the Boks won 17-14) and how we should have played. Sometimes when a team almost beats another in this Series, it gives a false boost of confidence to them.

"Even though it may be false, they have that self confidence and they think they can beat us. We always tell the players the longer it takes for a team to have success against you, the tougher it will be for them to win. But there aren't easy games anymore - even France play with no stuctures and you never know what to expect from them. We just to need to be at our best, and then we will be able to beat any team."

The Boks face France in their opening game at 13.54 Friday, followed by matches against Zimbabwe (17.00) and Kenya (20.38). The entire tournament will be screened live on SS1.

Read more on the latest rugby news page.

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