The 7’s Springboks are ready for Dubai, says Paul Treu.

From SA Rugby web site:

Crowned World Champions after a sensational 2009 IRB Sevens season, the Springbok Sevens begin an even tougher assignment on Friday in Dubai when they not only start to defend their World title, but also their Emirates Airlines Dubai Sevens crown.

A year ago, Paul Treu’s side slipped into the desert city a couple of days before everyone else, were better prepared and used a defensive based system to upset the odds. Carried on by the passion of the players, the Blitsbokke swept their way to the Dubai crown before adding George a week later to their trophy cabinet.

Yet this year the challenge is very different, much more intense and Treu has been logging in the hours of hard work to ensure that the Boks don’t find themselves in quicksand before the tournament is over.

And it will be tougher this year. Apart from the pressure of defending champions, the Boks also face teams that are more prepared. England, for instance, arrived the same day in Dubai as them last week, and have instituted a high-tech training system to get their teams up to speed. Others, like Fiji and New Zealand, seem more organised than last year while a number of the fringe teams have now received government backing with a long term view to the 2016 Olympics.

So Treu is measured as always when he speaks of the team’s chances, preferring to try and steer away from the limelight rather than bask in it.

“You must remember,” he offers wearily, “We were the best team in June. It’s now November, a lot has changed since then.”

A number of factors are different this time around – not in the least personnel. Gone are stars Robert Ebersohn, Lionel Mapoe and Gio Aplon while Vuyo Zangqa’s car accident robbed him of his career in the shortened game. But with the prospect of young talent like Griffons try-scoring sensation Cecil Afrika at sweeper and JW Jonker looking to establish themselves, Treu has enough firepower at his disposal.

“I think we handled the pressure rather well last year after going out and winning the first two tournaments. We were chased by teams and did well to keep our number one spot throughout the season and to ultimately win the series.

“We learnt a lot of lessons last year about how to win under pressure, and how to use that pressure to our advantage. We’ve tried to keep those lessons for the side this year and so far it has worked well. In Singapore, our defence was superb, and we didn’t concede a point the entire weekend on our way to winning the trophy there.”

Treu has laid down the law to his charges, and wants a high standard from game one if they are to defend their title.

“We are going to take things one game at a time. It’s a new season and the ultimate goal is to win the series. But if I can get the guys to give their best for every minute of every game, then we will be there. Every game is like a final to us.

“ It’s about keeping the players feet on the ground and making sure their focus is in the right place. At a tournament like this there are lots of distractions, so focus is very important.”

South Africa are seeded top of Pool A for the tournament, along with Australia, World Cup holders Wales and the Arabian Gulf.

· Catch all the live action on SuperSport 6 from Friday. South Africa’s first game is against Wales at 9.32am on Friday, followed by matches against Arabian Gulf (1.08pm) and Australia (5.36pm).