Coach Neil Powell of the Springbok Sevens has always placed more emphasis on becoming better people than merely better athletes.
And it’s obvious that his formula has been successful for him.
In what will be his last competition in command of the South African Sevens team, Powell will lead the Blitzboks into the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.
The group has won three World Series championships, two Commonwealth gold medals, and an Olympic bronze medal during his tenure.
Powell will work as the Sharks’ director of rugby after the World Cup.
After spending 15 years in the system as a player and coach, the former Blitzbok captain said yesterday at a media conference that the emotions had struck him, but he added that they had put all of that on hold to concentrate on the work at hand.
“I believe the emphasis has been off the field more so than on it. Instead of people approaching us and saying “well done on winning the championship,” Powell added, “we would much rather have people come up to us and say “you have got a terrific set of guys that are well behaved.”
“Your rugby career only lasts a certain amount of time; after that, the players need to be decent spouses, good dads, and excellent workers. We try to concentrate on it.
“It’s simple for myself and the team to get sidetracked and change our attention. We must keep our attention on the task at hand.
“After this tournament, we may say our goodbyes and cry. I entered this week with the intention of keeping my emotions under wraps around the team.
“To be honest, I’ve enjoyed it” (their handling of emotions). I felt more emotion during the week of the Commonwealth Games than I have this week so far. We are quite eager for the weekend. The chance to compete in a World Cup in your own home comes along just once in a lifetime.
“After this weekend, when you pack up your office and go, it will be difficult. Right now, the attention is on the World Cup and our first matchup with either Germany or Chile.
Powell said that winning the Melrose Cup, particularly in their own home, would be on par with winning Olympic gold since sevens was first included on the Olympic stage in Rio in 2016.
You decide where you wish to concentrate. If you do your planning well, you will be able to work with assurance. That has been our main priority.
“This is unquestionably on par with Olympic gold. It’s a highly prestigious tournament, and if you win, I believe the knockout format makes it even more so.
Powell said that the knockout format somewhat evens out the playing field between smaller and larger clubs, adding equalise more excitement to a game that is already thrilling and unpredictable.
“The presence of 24 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams just demonstrates that there is competition for everyone. It allows teams who would not otherwise have the chance to perform on a large platform the chance to do so, he added.
“This structure also provides every team an opportunity to compete against stronger opposition. Anyone may triumph.
“We are ready for Chile as well as Germany. In the quarterfinals, we will either play England or Ireland (or Portugal), so we are geared up for all four.
Although I can’t say for sure, there is a fair likelihood that we will face one of those two teams in the quarterfinal.
Today at 7:03 p.m., the Blitzboks play either Chile or Germany.