Powell to experiment at Oktoberfest7s in Germany

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   Neil Powell named a strong and experienced South African side to travel to Germany next week for the Oktoberfest7s in Munich on 21-22 September.

Siviwe Soyizwapi will lead a team laden with players that represented their country in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in the past seasons, with the two most experienced players in the country, Branco du Preez (71 tournaments) and Chris Dry (69 tournaments), included for the trip to Europe.

There is also a return to action for Zain Davids, Mfundo Ndhlovu, James Murphy and Stedman Gans, all of whom were injured in the latter part of the 2018/19 World Series.

South Africa are in Pool A with New Zealand, England and Australia for the tournament, which will take place in the Olympic Stadium. Pool B consists of Germany, Fiji, USA and France.

Powell said the squad reflected the status of his training squad at the moment as he was limited in selection.

“We have guys coming back from injury, we have some experienced campaigners and we have some young guys keen to make their mark and could be stars in the future,” said Powell.

“Some of the players who were involved with their provinces in the recent Currie Cup and age-group competitions were not yet considered, while the likes of Cecil Afrika and Justin Geduld are still in rehabilitation from injuries sustained last season.

“Players like Mfundo and James have not played much for us during the previous season, so this is a nice early opportunity for them to stake a claim for the new season. They are coming back from injury and will be eager to get involved.

“I am very happy with the squad though and keen to see how we go in Munich,” the coach explained.

Powell plans to use the German tournament to experiment on small technical changes: “There are a couple of tweaks we are implementing and I want to see how they work out for us.

“We are still in a conditioning phase, so we know we will not be as sharp as we can be, but that is not the end of the world. We are building towards the start of the season, so if there are mistakes, it will be a good pointer for us,” said Powell.

Powell and his team depart for Munich next Wednesday.

The SA Sevens squad for Munich:
1. Chris Dry
2. Ryan Oosthuizen
3. Impi Visser
4. Zain Davids
5. James Murphy
6. Mfundo Ndhlovu
7. Branco du Preez
8. Selvyn Davids
9. Kurt-Lee Arendse
10. Dewald Human
11. Siviwe Soyizwapi (c)
12. Stedman Gans

Management: Neil Powell (coach), Hugh Everson (physio), Ashley Evert (manager).

Schedule for Saturday, 21 September:
15h06: New Zealand
17h29: England
20h14: Australia

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Transvaal Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 30-Mar-2016 Status: Offline Points: 39968	Post Options Post Reply Quote Transvaal Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Powell to experiment at Oktoberfest7s in Germany Posted: 11-Sep-2019 at 1:16pm
	Neil Powell named a strong and experienced South African side to travel to Germany next week for the Oktoberfest7s in Munich on 21-22 September. Siviwe Soyizwapi will lead a team laden with players that represented their country in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in the past seasons, with the two most experienced players in the country, Branco du Preez (71 tournaments) and Chris Dry (69 tournaments), included for the trip to Europe. There is also a return to action for Zain Davids, Mfundo Ndhlovu, James Murphy and Stedman Gans, all of whom were injured in the latter part of the 2018/19 World Series. South Africa are in Pool A with New Zealand, England and Australia for the tournament, which will take place in the Olympic Stadium. Pool B consists of Germany, Fiji, USA and France. Powell said the squad reflected the status of his training squad at the moment as he was limited in selection. “We have guys coming back from injury, we have some experienced campaigners and we have some young guys keen to make their mark and could be stars in the future,” said Powell. “Some of the players who were involved with their provinces in the recent Currie Cup and age-group competitions were not yet considered, while the likes of Cecil Afrika and Justin Geduld are still in rehabilitation from injuries sustained last season. “Players like Mfundo and James have not played much for us during the previous season, so this is a nice early opportunity for them to stake a claim for the new season. They are coming back from injury and will be eager to get involved. “I am very happy with the squad though and keen to see how we go in Munich,” the coach explained. Powell plans to use the German tournament to experiment on small technical changes: “There are a couple of tweaks we are implementing and I want to see how they work out for us. “We are still in a conditioning phase, so we know we will not be as sharp as we can be, but that is not the end of the world. We are building towards the start of the season, so if there are mistakes, it will be a good pointer for us,” said Powell. Powell and his team depart for Munich next Wednesday. The SA Sevens squad for Munich: 1. Chris Dry 2. Ryan Oosthuizen 3. Impi Visser 4. Zain Davids 5. James Murphy 6. Mfundo Ndhlovu 7. Branco du Preez 8. Selvyn Davids 9. Kurt-Lee Arendse 10. Dewald Human 11. Siviwe Soyizwapi (c) 12. Stedman Gans Management: Neil Powell (coach), Hugh Everson (physio), Ashley Evert (manager). Schedule for Saturday, 21 September: 15h06: New Zealand 17h29: England 20h14: Australia