Africa-Press – South-Africa. Mfundo Ndhlovu is one of several Rugby World Cup Sevens debutants in the Blitzboks squad and the 25-year-old is pinning any success on the preparation that has been taking shape ahead of the showpiece.
As far as global events go, Ndhlovu already has the disappointment of having missed out on the Olympics in 2021, but that purgatory may well have been assuaged by his involvement in the Blitzboks squad that claimed gold at the Commonwealth Games.
The current Springbok Sevens squad boasts three bronze medal survivors from the 2018 World Cup, namely skipper Siviwe Soyizwapi, Selvyn Davids and Ryan Oosthuizen.
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Ndhlovu, 25, cut a genial figure when he addressed journalists ahead of the World Cup this weekend as he expressed how the spirit in the team will set them up for the three days.
Already seeded in the round of 16, the Blitzboks will only get their campaign going after 19:00 on day 1 in Cape Town. Should they win that game (against Germany or Chile), then their game on day 2 will only kick-off at 22:33.
“Preparation is going well, there’s a good spirit in the camp; it’s a good environment to be in with all the guys equally excited. Personally, there are no nerves yet,” Ndhlovu began.
Speaking on his injury which saw him miss the Olympics, he said:
The widely spoken about format of the tournament is also in sharp focus within the team environment.
“This is the be-all and end-all. You want to win this one because there isn’t time to atone (like you would a World Series) and it’s in front of home support,” Ndhlovu said, adding, “my mindset is to contribute to the team as much as I can. It’s a new week and a new opportunity. We are putting the past behind us and shaping up our future.”
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The past he refers to is the Los Angeles series where the Blitzboks finished 13th overall, their lowest finish under Neil Powell since he took charge of the team a decade ago. Ndhlovu wasn’t part of that group as he was out with injury.
“I’m sure with the team we have we have, we have the capabilities to take it to the end and implement our processes and put in the effort that we need in order to be successful,” he added.
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