Springbok coach Neil Powell was pleased with his side’s performances on the first day of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series tournament in Dubai, but reckons there’s plenty of room for improvement for the Blitzboks, who finished the unbeaten and on top of Pool C on Friday.

The South Africans will now face Australia in the quarter-finals of the Emirates Dubai 7s on Saturday at the Sevens Stadium, where a win will see them face the winner of the knock-out between Argentina and Ireland for a spot in the semi-finals.

The top-ranked Blitzboks kicked off the tournament with a well-deserved 28-7 victory over Ireland and followed that up with a 52-12 drubbing of Japan in their second Pool C fixture.

The South Africans then proceeded to defeat Great Britain 31-12 with a strong second-half showing in their last group match of the day to clinch top spot in their pool.

Both Siviwe Soyizwapi and Selvyn Davids scored four tries each on the day, while Ronald Brown had a good day with the boot, slotting 12 conversions.

However, they did suffer yet another setback when Muller du Plessis was forced to leave the field due to a leg injury in their final pool match. The Blitzboks are already without a number of injured regulars.

While he was satisfied with the winning results, Powell mentioned afterwards his charges can still improve on their cohesion.

“The individuals played well but we haven’t played well as a team yet,” said Powell.

“One of the things I want us to step up tomorrow is to play well as a team, on defence and attack. Also, conceding five tries on the opening day is something that we will have to look at closely.”

In the absence of a number of regulars, Powell gave newcomers Shilton van Wyk and Tiaan Pretorius their first of World Series action.

“It was nice to give them a taste of what it’s like to play at this level,” said Powell.

“The standard (of play here today) was better than the opposition we faced in Canada, so it was a good test for them. So, some areas to improve on, but we laid a good foundation for day two.”

Day one scorers:

GAME 1: Springbok Sevens 28 (14) Ireland 7 (0)

• Springbok Sevens – Tries: Selvyn Davids (2), Ronald Brown (2). Conversions: Brown (4).
• Ireland – Try: Sean Cribbin. Conversion: Cribbin.

GAME 2: Springbok Sevens 52 (26) Japan 12 (7)

• Springbok Sevens – Tries: Muller du Plessis, Selvyn Davids (2), Siviwe Soyizwapi (2), Zain Davids, Christie Grobbelaar, Shaun Williams. Conversions: Ronald Brown (5), Branco du Preez.
• Japan – Tries: Netani Vakayalia, Tomoya Yamamura. Conversion: Ryota Kano.

GAME 3: Springbok Sevens 31 (12) Great Britain 12 (5)

• Springbok Sevens – Tries: Muller du Plessis, Siviwe Soyizwapi (2), Impi Visser, Branco du Preez. Conversions: Ronald Brown (3).
• Great Britain – Tries: Robbie Fergusson, Ross McCann. Conversion: Frederick Roddick

Quarter-final draw for Saturday (SA times):

• 08h28: Argentina vs Ireland
• 08h50: Springbok Sevens vs Australia
• 09h12: USA vs Great Britain
• 09h34: Fiji vs Kenya

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Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.

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