His team won all three their matches with big margins, but Delport’s smiles were not from the scores, rather the playing experience gained by his team.
"We ticked a number of boxes today,” said Delport.
“Our newest recruit to the team, Alyssa Conley, did really well and started her first match as well, while Megan Philips and Liske Lategan, both of whom are also new to the team, had a full go in matches."
Delport is also using the tournament to experiment with a number of things in match situations.
“I made Nadine Roos captain for one match, and moved some of the players out of position in other. That is how they are learning and experiencing the game. They adapted well,” Delport said.
The Imbokodo won their matches against Eastern Province, SWD Eagirls and Botswana.
Delport said he is hoping for more of the same on Sunday: “We will play the Titans in the morning and from there we will hopefully contest the semifinal and final.”
Note: Imbokodo has been adopted as the official nickname of the Springbok Women’s Sevens team. Imbokodo is taken from the Zulu phrase “Wathint’ abafazi wanthint’ imbokodo” which translates as “You strike a woman, you strike a rock”, and represents the resilience and courage shown by women in general, and the Springbok Women’s Sevens as they take on the world’s best teams.
