George Mayor Charles Standers said at the launch of the tournament last week the aim of the George Sevens was always to give the local players exposure.
Ryno Michaels, from Young Roses, said he and his team members are looking forward to the tournament and certainly
realises the greatness of the competition. "We will give it our best and we are here to win. We are not a losing team," he said.
Deon Stoffels explained Evergreens' game plan and said they are running more during their exercises and are focusing on their technique since sevens is a very technical game. "We are training a 15-man squad to be ready, but we still will have to make the cut."
Zander Bekker, from NMMU RFC, said his favourite teams to make it to the semifinals are Evergreens, NMMU, Progress and Blanco.
The 10 most promising players identified during this tournament will be invited to attend the SARU Sevens Academy in Stellenbosch.
Ballie Jacobs, from Progress RFC, said one does not get better exposure than the opportunity to play with professionals at the Sevens Academy in Stellenbosch.
"It would be a great honour if I'm one of the chosen ones."
The mayor wants communities to attend the tournament at Outeniqua Park in their droves. The entry fee of R10 will certainly allow more people to attend the event, which is co-hosted by the George Municipality and the SWD Rugby Union.
Sixteen local teams will compete in four groups formatted on the existing IRB Sevens circuit principles. The winner will receive R10 000, the runner-up R5 000 and third place is worth R2 500.
All the teams and all role-players signed memorandums of understanding. Each team will be adopted by a George Business Chamber affiliate who will be allowed branding rights for the duration of the tournament.
Representing the teams that will take part in the Mayoral Cup Sevens 2014, are the captains of the local rugby clubs. Front, from left: Haywin Jansen (Crusaders RFC), Sebastian Kanna (Black Lions RFC), Alcino Davids (Pro Stars RFC), Llewellyn Fredericks (Rosedale RFC), Ryno Michaels (Young Roses RFC), Francois Plaatjies (Young Leaves RFC), Enrico Treurnicht (Blanco RFC) and Ballie Jacobs (Progress RFC). Back: Deon Stoffels (Evergreens RFC), Shane Philips (Super Stars RFC-Touwsranten), Aldeno Scott (Silver Stars), Zander Bekker (NMMU), Werner Rall (SWD Rugby marketing/Terra Firma), Naz Cupido (sports official: George Municipality), JC Barnardo (George RFC), Ashley Billy (Maori’s RFC), John Oliver (coach: Uniondale) and Newton April (United Stars).
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