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Blitzboks need to 'be patient' says Powell

The Blitzboks were in fine form on Day One, as they produced comfortable wins over Russia, France and Kenya.

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However, day two proved to be a challenge with the first match being a quarterfinal clash against Fiji.

During that match, the BlitzBoks were forced to overturn a 12-21 deficit to eventually claim a 31-26 win for a semifinal date with New Zealand. 

Fresh from a win over the All Blacks just a week ago in Dubai, the BlitzBoks headed into the semifinal with poise.

They took a 12-7 lead at the break, but two second-half tries by New Zealand spoiled Cape Town’s party with a 19-12 win.

The BlitzBoks then had to dig deep in for their bronze medal against Canada, but they managed to hang on for a narrow 19-17 victory.

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"It’s never about the results. It is always about the guys' form and how they implement the prosses," Powell said, adding: "Even during that Fiji game, there were signs that the guys were not implementing the processes – they didn’t look after the system like we wanted to,"

The next Sevens tournament is in Sydney on January 26, giving the Blitzboks sufficient time to – not only focus on attack –  but also take time to work on defence which Powell acknowledged was substandard on Day Two.

"We obviously pride ourselves on our defence, and especially if they cut our lines and get through the middle then we’re obviously disappointed.

"It’s all about the system and everybody needs to do their roles to implement the system.

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"If they do it well then the opposition shouldn’t come through the middle, if they want to cut the line or beat the defensive system then they have to go around,"

"We often get ourselves in that situations – where we almost try to push the intensity but we don’t control the ball.

"We don’t respect the ball enough, we give away easy ball possession. And doing little mistakes like that against quality teams, will only get punished.

"We need to be more patient. Maybe just take a step down with the intensity but a step up with the control,"

By Leezil Hendricks

@Leezil07

@rugby365com

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