South Africa look to end poor run of form in Dubai Sevens

Dubai: South Africa hope to banish unhappy memories of recent previous visits to Dubai by starting the new IRB World Series in style on Friday.

Paul Treu's side won here three years ago, only to be disqualified later on for having fielded an ineligible player while injuries crushed their hopes in 2004 and 2005.

Although the former Sevens international will love nothing more than to end that run of poor luck, Treu is too experienced an operator to be looking any further ahead than the group stages and clashes against Argentina, Canada and Tunisia.

He said: "We're in a very tough pool. In the past, we had lost to all these three teams.

So our first target is to try and finish on top.

"We know that our players have to be at their very best in every single game.

"Dubai has not been a happy hunting ground in the past, but this year, our preparations have been better. Hopefully, we have already faced some of the obstacles that seem to come our way.

"We lost two or three guys early on and then when we went into training in Durban, it poured, which is not exactly an ideal preparation for a tournament such as the one in Dubai."

Treu has an extra reason for wanting to kick off the new IRB Series with commanding performances in Dubai and on home soil in George, the following week.

"We will probably lose seven or eight of the guys by the time the Wellington and San Diego tournaments come around, because of the Super 14. That makes it even more important for us to start the series well here."

Being able to include Kabamba Floors, fresh from making his Springboks' debut in the victory at Twickenham last week, and Stefan Basson - a nominee for the IRB Sevens Player of the Year award - are the other positives for the team.

"I think this is the first time we've had a guy coming to us after playing for the Springboks. So we're breaking new ground," added Treu.