Cape Town — The Springbok Women’s Sevens will no doubt be the underdogs when they go into their Rugby World Cup Sevens opening match against France on Friday, but it's a tag they're embracing.
That is the message from one of the Springbok Women’s Sevens skippers.
The South Africans will be co-captained by Mathrin Simmers, who will be playing in her third Sevens World Cup, and Sizophila Solontsi, who will be running out in her first at Cape Town Stadium this weekend.
During the captain’s photo shoot at Signal Hill on Wednesday, Solontsi was all smiles as she spoke about the magnitude of playing in a World Cup, especially in front of your home crowd.
While she admitted that they are feeling the pressure, she was quick to recognise the role the crowd can play.
"I am definitely feeling it, especially since we are at home and it being such a large group compared to the World Series or any other event," Solontsi said.
"It doesn't get bigger than this. Playing at home does give us an advantage. France are No 2 in the World Series and they don't know us. We don't know them either. So, playing at home is an advantage. We are the underdogs, we've got nothing to lose, so we are ready for them."
There are a number of players in Paul Delport's World Cup squad who also boast fifteens experience at the highest level, and Solontsi is one of them.
Given the physicality of the French, the presence of some fifteens power is an asset for the South Africans. And the fact they will be playing with confidence after a successful season is a bonus.
The Springbok Women won five of their six Tests this season, including the clean sweep over Spain in the winter women's series, and Solontsi explained that the experience some of their players have gained on the fifteens stage will be greatly beneficial to the sevens team this weekend.
"The confidence went up with the fifteens girls coming in. We play on a bigger stage in fifteens and the girls come with a winning culture, so we are feeding into that."
On playing in front of their home crowd, she added: "It's super amazing knowing that we will have the support of the crowd and that everyone will be behind us. It's exciting but also nerve-racking, but we have worked on how to deal with a large crowd and how to focus on ourselves and not the crowd. It's going to be amazing."
Asisipho Plaatjies and Kirsten Eastes will not play this weekend after they missed out on selection to the final squad of 12.
The Springbok Women’s Sevens squad:
Marlize de Bruin, Nolwazi Hlabangane, Felicia Jacobs, Lerato Makua, Unathi Mali, Ayanda Malinga, Zintle Mpupha, Simamkele Namba, Nadine Roos, Mathrin Simmers, Sizophila Solontsi, Eloise Webb
IOL Sport