The Star E-dition

Life is not always going to be a fairytale: Powell on Blitzboks

ASHFAK MOHAMED

LIFE sometimes throws you lemons, and in the Blitzboks’ case at the Tokyo Olympics, they came from Argentina – and the South Africans were unable to make lemonade.

In the same way that their victories yesterday over Australia (22-19) and the United States (28-7) were as bittersweet as lemonade can be, so was the belated arrival of head coach Neil Powell into the Springbok Sevens set-up.

Powell had missed most of the tournament after testing positive for Covid-19 in Kagoshima, where they held their training camp.

It turned into a nightmare week, as some of the players who were deemed close contacts to Powell during the trip from Tokyo to the south-western city and had to go into isolation as well.

That situation continued even in the few days back in the Japanese capital before the event kicked off on Monday, which led to some players not being able to enter the Olympic Village and having to stay in an alternate hotel.

They couldn’t train properly together, but at least got through the group stages unscathed to top Pool C for a quarter-final against Argentina, where the Blitzboks failed to take advantage of a red card to their opponents in the third minute as they were shell-shocked by a flurry of errors that resulted in a 19-14 defeat.

They picked themselves up to end fifth in the tournament with their wins over Australia and the US, and that was something Powell appreciated.

“I managed to make it to the last game. This was definitely not our plan for this Olympics, but that’s what life sometimes throws at you. It’s not always going to be a fairytale and living your dream – sometimes you get those challenges, and I think you have a decision, how you want to look at it … in a negative or a positive way,” the former Bulls and Free State scrumhalf said from Tokyo.

“I choose the positive side, and I am grateful for the fact that I made it for the last game, although it was a bit late.

“The conversion we had this morning is to know that the last two games of this Olympics will define us as a team, and as individuals. We need to make sure we show our character and make the jersey proud again.

“Obviously not the results we were looking for, especially the way that we bombed out of the competition.

“But again, a lot of positives that we can still take from this. The challenges that we had building up to the Olympics probably showed at stages in this tournament.”

On having to watch those crazy few minutes after the red card to Gaston

Revol – where the South Africans dropped their guard and allowed Marcos Moneta to score two thrilling tries – from his hotel room, Powell said: “Powerless is a good term or description for what I felt, watching from the other side of the TV.

“I thought it was stressful and painful sitting next to the field and watching it live, but I think it was more painful to be on the other side of the screen and not have any influence or say on that game, or any contribution that I could make from the side of the field.

“So, it was difficult and stressful.”

SPORT

en-za

2021-07-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/282127819512241

African News Agency