Cape Town — Pressure, pressure, pressure.
We all know that’s what the Blitzboks are going to be feeling heading into the Rugby World Cup Sevens this weekend, more than any other team because they are the hosts, but there are also a lot of positives that come with playing in front of your home crowd.
The Springbok Sevens side will open their campaign against either Chile or Germany on Friday, and apart from pressure, Neil Powell’s team have also felt the other side that comes with being the hosts nation to such a spectacle.
And it’s that half that Sako Makata is choosing to focus on.
“I would like to think it’s a 50-50 thing — that there is pressure, but at the same time it’s alleviated by playing at home,” Makata said earlier this week. “Even the welcome that we received (at the hotel) … we never get that on foreign ground.”
With all 40 teams (24 men’s and 16 women’s) all staying at the same hotel, that would have been enough to put a smile on the faces of the Commonwealth Games gold medallists.
“So, it’s a lot of things (positives playing at home) — you don’t struggle to get around, you’re not stressed about anything, so it does alleviate the pressure in that sense, but it also adds a lot.”
The versatile Makata added that he is approaching the knock-out format of the competition as a challenge.
“Everybody is trying to keep their emotions in control because a loss of emotions leads to loss of control,” he said.
“I can’t wait to get that first game underway … I think that’s what’s creating all these nerves, you don’t know how it’s going to go.
“One loss and you’re out of the tournament. Of course no one wants a blowout like that, and it does add a lot of pressure, but at the same time it’s a challenge, and life is all about facing challenges head-on. It’s going to be a true test of character.”