- The Blitzboks and Springbok Women's Sevens teams are gearing up to host the Rugby Sevens World Cup in Cape Town this weekend.
- Two players who will be looking to make an immediate impact in their debut World Cup will be Sakoyisa Makata and Angelo Davids.
- Makata accepts that there will be pressure on them, while Davids knows the team will find their enjoyment factor again.
Springbok Sevens duo Sako Makata and Angelo Davids have kept the message simple ahead of the Rugby Sevens World Cup in Cape Town this weekend.
For 23-year-old Makata, pressure will meet privilege in the battle at the Cape Town Stadium. For Davids, it's about enjoying the occasion.
The Blitzboks and the Springbok Women's Sevens teams are bona fide hosts for the glittering tournament which started in 1993.
40 participating teams are fine-tuning their preparations for the tournament, which is a knockout stage from the first game.
The Springbok Sevens are automatically in the round of 16 and will play either Germany or Chile at 19:03 on Friday. The Springbok Women's Sevens kick off their campaign against France at 18:35 in Friday's evening session.
The tournament's first game gets underway at 08:45 on Friday.
"When I look back at the tournament next week, I want to know I've given it my all," Makata said in the lead-up to their opening game.
"Hopefully what we do will be enough [to win] so that we know that if we don’t, it’s not for lack of effort and that maybe the other team was better than us."
Makata, who has been to 16 World Series tournaments, continued:
He said pressure and privilege will be in equal measure, not least because of the format, but because of the expectations on the team, both internally and externally.
"It’s going to be important to keep emotions intact. If you allow them to takeover, oftentimes you might lose control [of the job at hand] and forget what you prepared during the week... South Africans expect us to get the gold, it’s pressure, but it’s also a privilege.
"These are the situations we train for. We’re more excited than nervous. We hope our actions show our true character and hopefully will be enough for South Africans to be pleased."
Rugby code-switcher Davids was equally direct in his weekend hypothesis, saying: "We will go out and do what the coach expects of us. Our effort on the field is our focus."
The 23-year-old added that the disappointment of their last World Series in Los Angeles will be used as motivation to get things right this weekend.
"Enjoyment is part of our game; when we enjoy what we do, we are unstoppable. Fans will see guys that are hungry and excited; guys that will be happy to play in front of home supporters, family and friends."
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