We Have Many Reasons to Do Well in Dubai

It was an umpteenth trip to the Emirates Dubai Sevens for Impi Visser on Monday, but the first time as Springbok Sevens captain – little wonder he represented the Blitzboks with dignified pride and confidence at the official captains’ photo this week.

Visser is eager for the tournament to start as he firmly believes his team will carry that pride and confidence onto the pitch at The Sevens on Saturday and Sunday.

“It will be a ‘no excuses’ weekend for us,” said Visser after the photo was taken.

“We came prepared and are an experienced squad, so we just need to go out and make things happen on the field.

“We want to lay down a marker early and keep improving on that. We arrived here as the top ranked team and want to show that it is still the case.”

The Blitzboks are the most experienced team in Dubai, with a combined 339 tournament caps. They are followed by Argentina, with 331, and Spain, on 328, and Visser believes this will benefit the South Africans.

“It certainly helps to have heaps of experience, especially knowing how fast this game is and at what intensity it is played at,” said the Blitzbok forward, who has scored 45 tries in his 46 HSBC SVNS tournaments so far.

“We should not be surprised by anything from our opponents or the tournament itself.”

A good start is important due to the changed format of the series, but Visser reckons there is more: “Every match is crucial, and slip-ups will be punished, so we need to keep our standards high from the start. There are other benefits too by doing well in Dubai.

“Knowing that coach (Philip Snyman) wants to bring in some players during the season to build some depth also encourages us to do well here, as that will assist him in that aim. We are all as strong as the system and if we support making it stronger, we will be strong as well.”

The focus is on France in their opening match on Saturday, but Visser is not oblivious to another factor that will come into play with a good performance this weekend.

“Another bonus for us, by doing well here, is that it will hopefully encourage more people to come to the Cape Town tournament next weekend,” he said.

“We would love nothing more than a stadium full of support when we get there next week, but for that to happen, we need to do our part in Dubai on Saturday and Sunday.”

Tickets for the HSBC SVNS Cape Town, from R250 per person per day, are available from Ticketmaster.

Most Dubai tournament appearances for South Africa:

11 – Kyle Brown

10 – Branco du Preez

8 – Philip Snyman & Frankie Horne