South Africa coach Renfred Dazel has a simple wish for his players as they make their first appearance on the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series 2013/14 in Amsterdam – to show they can compete with the best sides in the world.

The Springbok women may not have appeared on the world stage since the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow last June, but they have been working hard behind the scenes and benefitting from the historic decision to award national contracts to 15 players in January who are based in Port Elizabeth.

That has included a four-day training camp alongside the Fifteens team, who are preparing for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 in August for which the Sevens players could also figure, and in Cape Town with a number of Sevens matches played.

“The camp was fantastic. It was certainly beneficial in the sense that it offered the players a fantastic opportunity to test their skills against the physical Fifteens’ players in training matches,” explained Dazel, whose side retained their Confédération Africaine de Rugby (CAR) title in Kenya last month.

“We have been based in Port Elizabeth since the beginning of the year in a high-performance programme, so the ladies train, eat and live together. As a result of this, it was good for them to train in Cape Town for a few days and to learn a few things from the other players.

High quality Series in 2013/14 
 
“I certainly hope you will see a vastly-improved showing from that which we have delivered in the past because I believe as a team we have a better understanding of the game. We are currently in a centralised training programme which involves spending a fair amount of time on conditioning and technical skills, and we have been working with top local coaching from the SARU Mobi-Unit to assist with improving the key aspects of our game.”

South Africa’s victory in the CAR Sevens secured their place in the qualifier for the 2014/15 World Series later this year and the Amsterdam Sevens will therefore provide an invaluable opportunity for Dazel to see what his charges can do against the best sides in the world.

“With the upcoming qualifier of the 2014/15 Women’s Sevens World Series it is really important for the team to perform well in Amsterdam,” admitted Dazel. “The tournament will definitely give us a good idea of where we are compared to the teams on the World Series and it will also provide a platform from which we can build going into the qualifiers.”

“Our players have great belief in the structures we have put in place. Sevens is a dynamic game which has many high and low moments and the games can change for any team in a few minutes.”

While South Africa have been working hard at home, Dazel has been watching the Series unfold with interest and has noticed some clear and positive differences in the women’s game from the inaugural season.

“The Series has been of a very high quality,” explained Dazel. “The teams have adapted to the style of play from one tournament to the next and the physical demands of the game have grown. I believe the Series has provided a great opportunity for the countries to develop more quality players due to the improved pace and quality of the matches. 

Chance for South Africa to shine 
 
“One of the big differences from the inaugural season is that there are many more competitive nations, so it is clear that the gap in quality between the participating nations has decreased. This has made every match a spectacle to watch, which is encouraging as it will inspire younger players to become involved in the game.”

South Africa will hope they can spring a surprise like Fiji did in China by reaching the Cup semi-finals.

“Our players have great belief in the structures we have put in place and they enjoy the fact that Sevens is a dynamic game with many highs and lows which means a game can change for any team within a few minutes. It is certainly very encouraging to see the new teams perform and it will serve as motivation for our team going into Amsterdam.

“In Amsterdam I would like to see the players stick to the structures and to play to their full potential so they can prove that they have what it takes to compete with teams on the Series. We know it is going to be tough, but I believe in their abilities. If they play to their potential they can do well.”

The IRB Women’s Sevens World Series finale will be streamed live from Amsterdam on 16-17 May on wsws.irb.com. South Africa will face matches against Australia, Russia and France and you can also follow us on Twitter @irbwomens.