Zain Davids has seen it all during his Sevens career as a Blitzbok. He has stood on podiums around the world, lifted a handful of trophies, and received bronze, silver and gold medals respectively in various competitions.
And while none of those achievements have happened during his five previous trips to Hong Kong, the 28-year-old, who will be playing in his 58th HSBC SVNS tournament, said his focus remains on living in the moment every time he takes the field, which is exactly what he intends to do this weekend with all the teams even on zero points.
“We are starting this Championship at the same venue and with no log points,” Davids said from Hong Kong, where the team is preparing for a Pool A showdown with Uruguay, Spain and Argentina. “What happened in the past counts for nothing, but what happens this weekend will.
“We have never won here, fair enough, but that is not consuming us. What we want is to be on the same page, execute our game plan as one, and take it one game at a time. For now, that is Uruguay, and from there on in, we’ll take each challenge as it comes.”
Davids missed out on the Vancouver and New York double, but he had the honour of enjoying the Cape Town and Perth trophy lifts during the recently completed HSBC SVNS Series.
“You always want to play in every tournament, but coach Philip laid out his plans to the senior guys at the beginning of the season and explained rest periods and recovery times, so we all knew that we could be rested along the way,” said Davids.
“I use the word rested in italics, as our strength and conditioning coach, Ghafoer Luckan, keeps a very sharp eye on our prescribed fitness programme, even when we are not travelling and he is away with the team.
“So, I am fit and ready for this one. I’m feeling refreshed and keen to get another trophy win.
“We enjoy playing in the Hong Kong tournament, where there is a lot of South African support. In a way, if we go all out and finish on top, it will be as much for them as for us.”
Selected Blitzboks records in Hong Kong:
Most points:
- 192 Cecil Afrika
- 148 Branco du Preez
- 106 Justin Geduld
Most tries:
- 22 Cecil Afrika
- 17 Fabian Juries, Seabelo Senatla
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