Neil Powell On How the Blitzbokke Are Evolving the Kicking Game in Sevens

South Africa always seems to be at the forefront of something different when it comes to Sevens tactics. Whether it be 5-man mauls or clever set-plays, the Blitzbokke have been pioneers in many respects with adding unpredictable elements to a game which otherwise seems pretty straightforward: keep possession.

From the standout performance at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, it’s evident that the Springbok Sevens side is not afraid to kick — something you wouldn’t have seen much of in years gone by.

The Blitzbokke managed to score a wealth of tries through cross-kicks and attacking kicks downfield, catching most of the teams off-guard and the most unexpected moments.

“More teams aren’t defending with their sweeper at the back anymore, keeping all seven players in their line,” explained Powell. “Teams like New Zealand defend with a system where the wings would try to cover kicks, so for us, it was an opportunity to punish teams, kick behind them, and get some points by trying to get some quick chasers onto the ball.”

“Worst case scenario it puts some pressure on them, and best case scenario we put some points on them, so it did work well for us [at the Commonwealth Games], as was the case with the Scotland game where we kicked quite a lot.”

When the Blitzbokke took on Canada, the men in red appeared to be aware of the threat and put their sweeper back to cover the incoming kicks; however, Powell reiterates that the Blitzbokke are all about adapting.

“Canada dropped one player as a sweeper, and that’s also exactly what we want. Then we know that we can keep ball in-hand and play our normal attacking game, so it gives us options.”

Regarding the World Cup Sevens in Cape Town in September, Powell emphasised that even though it’s familiar territory and opposition, the beast of the Sevens World Cup is very different to that of a normal leg on the World Sevens Series.

“We’ve got to look at it differently. When it comes to the World Series, you tend to get a few chances if things don’t go so well. Whereas at the World Cup, any mistakes mean that you’re gone. There’s not a lot of time to build up momentum, so from the moment the first whistle goes, we’ve got to be full of confidence and keep our momentum to take us through the tournament.”

South Africa plays their first game at 19:03 on Friday, 9 September, against either Germany or Chile, depending on who wins.