15 July 2005

Traditional rugby sevens powerhouses Fiji and New Zealand stand squarely in the way of South Africa's young sevens team as they go for glory at the 2005 World Games, a unique international event featuring non-Olympic sports.

The 2005 World Games, the seventh since the inception of the Games in 1981, is being held in the four German cities of Duisburg, Bottrop, Oberhausen and Mülheim from 14 to 24 July.

SA's sevens team gave an earlier glimpse of their potential by beating New Zealand, Australia and England en route to winning the London leg of the IRB Sevens in June.

"We have some of the best attacking players in the world, with guys like Danwell Demas, Mzwandile Stick and Lesley Jackson devastating on their day," says coach Paul Treu. "But they will have to show more consistency if they are to be in the medals on the 24th July in Duisburg."

New Zealand comfortably won the recently concluded IRB sevens series, ahead of Fiji and England. South Africa's fourth place reflected a season of ups and downs in which they mixed flashes of brilliance with sloppy defensive lapses.

It is these lapses that Treu will be looking to eradicate as his team goes hunting the rugby sevens World Games title currently held by the legendary Waisale Serevi's effervescent Fijians.

"We have a young team, and we still need to learn to concentrate for the full 14 minutes," he says.

Rugby sevens is bidding for a place in the Olympic Games, and its burgeoning popularity across the world would make it a popular choice. Its chief attraction is that the abbreviated version of the traditional 15-a-side game lasts only 14 minutes - with continuous action and hardly any interruptions.

SouthAfrica.info reporter

	Speedster Fabien Juries was one of the stars of South Africa's victory in the London Sevens (Photo: IRB Sevens)

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