The Bok Women qualified for the semi-finals with an impressive 31-0 victory over Colombia in the quarter-finals on Saturday, after they concluded their pool fixtures with a big 38-0 victory over Thailand.
That is the view of South African co-captain Mathrin Simmers, who said the sole focus will be on their semi-final opponents on the final day of the second World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series tournament in Stellenbosch.
The match, which is scheduled to start at 10h16, will be the second encounter between the two sides at the Markötter Stadium in as many weeks, with the first clash ending in a 7-7 draw in the first tournament last week.
As things stand, with only two matches left in the second of the two tournaments, the Springbok Women’s Sevens have a good chance to win the coveted core spot for next year, but according to Simmers, they are not focussing on that.
“It will be game one, day three and nothing else,” said Simmers.
“We had a good day today, with our attack coming into play nicely, but the game against Czechia will demand another courageous defensive effort.
“The last time we played them, it was the first match of the tournament and it was wet and rainy. This time around, it will be dry and the semi-final of the tournament, so there is much more at stake for us.”
Simmers said their defence will have to counter the off-loading game of the European side: “They are very physical and love the off-load in the tackle, so we will have to snuff that out at source. Last week, we defended with great character against them, this time the same will be needed.”
Simmers said the tries scored by her team on Saturday showed what they can do with ball in hand.
“We attacked nicely today and managed to get the ball to our strike runners, and they came through for us. That was a focus for us today and I am pleased that it worked out,” she said.
The other semi-final will be played between China and Belgium. A Chinese victory coupled with a South African win over Czechia will hand the overall first spot to South Africa.
“That might be a permutation yes, but we still need to win our own game,” said Simmers.
“If we stick to what worked for us this far, the result will come and that is all that we are looking at now, that first game tomorrow.”