|
Treu invites youngsters to camp
27/02/2008 22:57 - (SA)
Adnaan Mohamed, Die Burger
Stellenbosch - Paul Treu, coach of the South African Sevens Boks, has invited four 18-year-old players and a 20-year-old to train with his squad this week.
Treu brought the youngsters in to introduce them to the Sevens culture after seeing them play in the Varsity Cup tournament on Monday.
The youngsters are centre Robert Ebersohn and fullback Wilton Pietersen of the Shimlas, Tukkies wing Gerhard van den Heever, Danie Poolman of the WP Academy and 20-year-old Ikeys wing Marvin Christiaans.
They were in a squad of 20 that trained at the University of Stellenbosch on Wednesday.
Treu said: "It's good to give young players a little exposure so that they can train and play at this level.
Some players were still injured
"This is, of course, all part of our long-term planning. We'd like so see how they settle in with the team. It also offers them an opportunity of selection for the national squad."
Treu also invited SA Under-20 player Tom Seabala of Tukkies and Thabo Mamojele, a 20-year-old Sharks flank, but they were still injured after playing in the Varsity Cup tournament.
The players attended a video session before Wednesday's practice and were shown footage of recent Sevens matches between South Africa and New Zealand. A thorough analysis of match situations was part of the session.
Treu said the players were concentrating on defence this week.
"Attention is being paid to all aspects of defence. We're specifically looking at tackling technique.
"Defence at tight phases and positioning are also receiving attention. Next week we will concentrate on a combination of defence and attack," Treu explained.
He confirmed that sports psychologist Henning Gericke would join the Sevens squad to help them prepare mentally for the upcoming tournaments.
The Sevens Springboks will be in action in the Hong Kong Sevens at the end of March before playing in the IRB tournament in Adelaide, Australia, in April.
|
Rugby
