The Springbok Sevens team arrived in Perth on Sunday with a positive mindset and determined to raise the bar they have set in South Africa last month, when they won the HSBC SVNS Cape Town.
According to Impi Visser, one of the co-captains for the trip, the victory – their first at home since 2015 – was a timely reminder of hard work being rewarded, but the whole squad realised that it all starts at zero again when they returned to training a couple of weeks back.
“The pressures to perform when you play for the Blitzboks are always there, and the expectation that you will do well by all involved is a given, be it a supporter or a player,” said Visser after a long haul from Cape Town to Perth via Dubai.
“The win in Cape Town just confirmed that our hard work paid off, that we have set a standard for ourselves to maintain now. We arrive here in Perth with exactly that in mind. To be at our best as that will bring results.”
For the durable forward, who made his debut in 2019 and has played in 41 world series tournaments, the enjoyment factor is still relevant in an experienced Springbok Sevens squad.
“We have some very experienced players on tour, with only Zander (Reynders) in his first season, so there is good synergy in the group, as well as cohesion ahead of that will be another very competitive weekend for us,” he said.
The Blitzboks will face the USA, Australia and Argentina in their pool in Perth and according to Visser, all will be tough to break down.
“All our opponents have their strengths and weaknesses, but we have seen that we do best when we just keep the focus on ourselves,” said Visser.
“We have very good potential and if you add the experience that Ryan (Oosthuizen), Ronald (Brown) and Selvyn (Davids) will bring, we will be competitive, that is for sure. We know what we can do, now the challenge will be to not only stick to those standards but raise the bar even higher.”
Visser is expecting good support from the expat community in Perth and welcomes that: “We have seen that wherever we play during the series, the South Africans abroad come out in good numbers to support us. That is a nice bonus for us, as well as a source of inspiration.”
The Blitzboks will start their campaign on Friday morning against the USA at 08h23 (SA time), and their second Pool A match, against Australia, at 13h52 (SA time), will conclude the first day’s play at HBF Park. They play Argentina at 07h50 (SA time) on Saturday, with the knock-out rounds starting in the afternoon.
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The first Test cricket captains for the English team were James Lillywhite and David Gregory. Of the two, Lillywhite was the first to play. He died in 1929, becoming the last player of the very first Test match to pass away.
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The cricket bat has been a source of controversy in cricket. In 1771, one player attempted to breach the rules. Thomas White, an English cricketer, took his turn with a bat that was as wide as the wickets in the field. This ensured better defense and gave Thomas an unfair advantage. A protest by the opposing team ensued which later led to a change in cricket laws in 1774, setting the bat width to no more than 4.25 inches.