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Springbok Sevens coach, Paul Treu, says the passionate George crowd will provide extra energy and motivation for his team when they defend their Emirates Airline SA Sevens tournament title on Friday and Saturday at Outeniqua Park.

The South Africans won the George Sevens title for the first time in 2008 beating New Zealand in the final amongst jubilant scenes.

Treu said he is still very disappointed that his IRB Sevens World Series champions could not progress further than the Cup quarterfinals in last weekend’s Dubai event.

Although the Boks started well to hold Fiji to a 5-5 stalemate at half-time, the islanders forced them into several errors after the break and never looked back.

Waitsoni Votu and Jiuita Lufumailagi dotted down a pair of second-half tries to seal the 17-5 victory and earn Bok coach Paul Treu's praise: "Fiji are just so dangerous on attack and they forced us into making crucial errors inside our own half.

"I'm pleased with the intensity and the commitment of the guys. Protection of the ball and taking your chances when it matters are two crucial elements of sevens rugby, and Fiji were just better on the day."
But the coach has claimed his team now have the ideal chance to make up for their below par showing last week.

“The supporters were really fantastic last year and I am expecting the same on Friday and Saturday. Any team will tell you that nothing beats the feeling of playing in front of your own crowd,” explained Treu.

He added that the failed attempt in Dubai will not force him to change his approach or his team’s tactics. “We’ve worked very hard during the pre-season and our system has served us well last season. We are missing several regulars from the 2008/09 season, but that is no excuse. This squad is full of talent and we must quickly learn to play consistently well over two days.”

Deon Helberg, the SA squad member who was onboard the SA Airlink aircraft that left the runway and landed in a nearby street at the George Airport yesterday, took full part in today’s training session at the Saasveld sport grounds.

Treu was full of praise for the youngster’s bravery: “He is a young, bright lad and he has no negative effect from the unfortunate incident.

“From what I understood, he actually forced the plane’s door open and helped some of the other passengers to safety. He has slotted in very well into the team environment and I’m sure he will grab his chance with both hands when he gets a chance to play.

Helberg joined the squad last week in Dubai as replacement for Marius Schoeman.

Meantime, Schoeman has recovered from his calf injury and returns to the twelve man squad as replacement for Neil Powell.

“We are fortunate to be able to replace a stalwart like Neil with a veteran like Marius. He brings a lot of experience to the team and is very motivated to pull on the Springbok Sevens jersey again after suffering so many setbacks last season,” said Treu.

Clever back for USA

The experienced Todd Clever has answered Al Caravelli’s SOS and joins up with the USA Squad in George. The US were hamstrung by several injuries in Dubai and Clever brings international experience in both the Sevens and 15-a-side formats. He has recently played Super Rugby for the Johannesburg-based Auto & General Lions.

Pools:
Pool A: South Africa, Kenya, France, Zimbabwe
Pool B: Fiji, Australia, Portugal, Russia
Pool C: New Zealand, Wales, Samoa, United States
Pool D: Scotland, England, Argentina, Tunisia

Day One schedule:
(Kick-off is local time - GMT + two hours)
Match 1: Scotland v Argentina, 11.42
Match 2: England v Tunisia, 12.04
Match 3: New Zealand v Samoa, 12.26
Match 4: Wales v United States, 12.48
Match 5: Fiji v Portugal, 13.10
Match 6: Australia v Russia, 13.32
Match 7: South Africa v France, 13.54
Match 8: Kenya v Zimbabwe, 14.16
Match 9: Scotland v Tunisia, 14.48
Match 10: England v Argentina, 15.10
Match 11: New Zealand v United States, 15.32
Match 12: Wales v Samoa, 15.54
Match 13: Fiji v Russia, 16.16
Match 14: Australia v Portugal, 16.38
Match 15: South Africa v Zimbabwe, 17.00
Match 16: Kenya v France, 17.22
Match 17: Argentina v Tunisia, 17.54
Match 18: Samoa v United States, 18.16
Match 19: Portugal v Russia, 18.38
Match 20: France v Zimbabwe, 19.00
Match 21: Scotland v England, 19.32
Match 22: New Zealand v Wales, 19.54
Match 23: Fiji v Australia, 20.16
Match 24: South Africa v Kenya, 20.38