Fire in the Belly, but With a Cool Head

The Springbok Women’s Sevens team arrived in Poland late on Monday determined to keep their momentum from the opening two legs of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series that was played in Cape Town early last month.

The South Africans arrived in Krakow for the third and final tournament in the competition placed second on the log.

The top four of the eight participating teams will have a shot at qualifying for the HSBC SVNS at the final tournament of the season, early next month in Los Angeles. They will be up against the bottom four teams from the recently concluded world series, Brazil, China, Ireland and Spain.

For Zintle Mpupha, the effort required in Poland is simple.

“We want the fire in the belly, but with a cool head,” she explained the team’s mindset shortly after arrival in Central Europe.

That mindset comes from confidence that they prepared well and have some momentum following the opening two tournaments at Athlone Stadium, where the Bok Women beat Czechia and Poland, their two opponents on the opening day on Friday at Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium.

“We locked in some key details in those final days of camp in Stellenbosch,” said the experienced Mpupha.

“The training went well and we boarded the plane knowing that we are well prepared for this. There was good energy for the trip and although it was a long one, as we travelled via Amsterdam, we are happy to be here and get going.”

Mpupha said one of the key aspects identified as lacking during the two tournaments in Cape Town, was being clinical in the red zones of the opponents.

“We may be in a good position after the first two, but we have not qualified yet, so there is no chance of us getting complacent and not wanting to improve,” she said.

“We have a physical pool for sure, so we will have to front up, but also focus on our own game. Our defensive effort will be key, but that is a strong element in our game anyway. Still, we need to be dominant on the day. Playing Poland in Poland will be a challenge and Czechia is a well-organized team.”

Mpupha was cited for a high tackle in the second tournament in Cape Town and suspended for five matches, so she is keen to redeem herself now that she is back on the field again.

“That was not great to be honest and I was distraught, but now I am over that disappointment, realising that those things happen in rugby,” she said. “I learned from that, and it does serve as motivation coming into the last tournament and deliver my best efforts for the team.”