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Blitzboks confident of rectifying errors at Canada Sevens
South Africa will face Spain, Canada and Australia in their pool matches on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
After a disappointing run in Singapore, the Blitzboks are hoping to regain their form at the Canada Sevens. Picture: David van der Sandt/Gallo Images
While their previous performances in Vancouver will see them turning out among the favourites at the Canada Sevens, the Blitzboks are not concerned about their history at the tournament.
The SA team’s focus ahead of this week’s event, where they have lifted the cup twice in the last three seasons, has instead been on rectifying errors that saw them fall in three successive defeats at the previous leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series in Singapore earlier this month.
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“The number of penalties was a worry (in Singapore). We are more disciplined than that and have been for a while,” said Blitzbok coach Neil Powell.
The high number of penalties they conceded prompted Powell to have a chat with the match officials to get clarity, giving him a clearer picture for the Canada event.
“It was a combination of frustration on our side and interpretation on theirs. We sought clarity and got that,” Powell said.
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“The feedback to the players was that we need to give the referees a better picture of what we do,” he added.
“We know the rules, it was just a reminder of what was wrong and what not. There should be no issues this weekend.”
South Africa, who remain top of the World Series standings, will face Spain in their first Pool C match at 8.15pm on Saturday (SA time), followed by clashes with hosts Canada (11.26pm) and Australia (3.33am on Sunday).
