Neil Powell Points the Way Forward

Having brought a winning culture to the Sevens circuit, the Blitzbok coach now advocates introducing 7s skills in the 15-man code.

With his expertise increasingly in demand Blitzboks coach Neil Powell believes he can transfer elements of his team's winning recipe to the 15-man game.

His team has met with stunning success this year and is on the cusp of claiming their first World Sevens Series win since 2009. Powell doesn't purport to possess the panacea for all the 15-man game's ills, but is convinced the application of certain Sevens, or more to the point, Blitzboks disciplines, warrant crossover.

Powell has already been sought by two unions to share some of his Sevens magic.

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"They want me to talk about the way we ruck," said Powell, careful not to reveal their identity. "We put just one guy in the ruck. They want to know how our players weighing 76, 77, 78kg can out-ruck strapping Fijians who weigh 100kg."

Apart from greater efficacy at the ruck, Powell will also stress the importance of spatial awareness, a discipline in which South African players are often found to be blinkered.

He explained that players in the 15-man code must learn to play into space. "As South Africans we still have to learn that. We still try and run over people," Powell noted.

"The intensity with which we play and practise is perhaps also something that can be introduced at 15s. You can't play at high intensity if you don't train at high intensity."

Powell knows his mantra is more likely to resonate with a young, impressionable audience.

"Sevens is a very good tool to develop individual skills. Sevens expects that of you. If you are not a good defender or a good passer you are going to stand out like a sore thumb. In Sevens you have to be an all-round good player. It is a good place to learn the basic principles of rugby and it is better if that is taught at school.

"The idea is that you start at the age of 6, 7 and 8 you play tag rugby, at under-9, 10 and 11 you start playing Sevens and from under-12 you start playing 15s. Even then you can still sharpen your skills in the off-season between October and March by playing Sevens.

"We can't force this on any schools, we can't force it on SA Rugby, they can't force it on schools," said Powell, who earned some of his stripes at the Investec coaching academy.

block_quotes_start We have what we call a team ID. It is what people must think of us without us telling them                          

Either way, the Windhoek-born coach has a story to tell. He provided some insight into why his team has been so successful this season. How his team is viewed and perceived by the opposition is important to Powell, especially if it is accompanied by some mental degradation.

"We have what we call a team ID. It is what people must think of us without us telling them. It comprises being a contact dominant team, a defence team, a set-phase dominant team, a controlled intensity team, and we have an in-the-box, out-of-the-box system.

"The in-box you can't get out of because it is our system but inside that is the smaller box with the players in it. We don't want to inhibit them because they need to get out of their individual boxes. They must have the freedom to do their thing inside the big box. That is our team ID. Those are the things we ask ourselves after each tournament.

"Consistency is one of the first things I addressed when I started coaching the Sevens team. You are successful in the one tournament and then less so in the next. We used the principle that we have to start on zero every time.

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"We still get it wrong from time to time, like in Singapore [a few weeks ago]. It remains a challenge and there is no golden recipe. We strive for perfection even if you are not going to get there."

The next Olympics is a clear goal, but Powell believes the Sevens game will not reach its full potential until South Africans attach more value to the Games.

"We grew up watching 15s, the Springboks, World Cups and so on. In America where they have an Olympic culture Sevens is a bigger priority. There an Olympic medal means something."

Asked whether he'd one day consider crossing over to the 15s code like his predecessor Paul Treu, Powell kept his options open. "I won't say 'no'. You don't know what the future has in store. I have a four-year contract with SA Rugby until 2020, after the next Olympic Games.

Then I can decide what I want to do. It depends how it goes over the next few years. One could go into 15s or join another country thereafter. What I also have to weigh up is the family. I have a wife and two sons. One is five and the other seven months."

As things stand, Powell is likely to be in very high demand.

sports@timesmedia.co.za