Blitzboks want to give Powell a 'good send off' with Commonwealth Games, Sevens titles ahead

Blitzboks captain Siviwe Soyizwapi says that the Springboks Sevens will do everything in their power to give coach Neil Powell the perfect send-off.

Powell will leave the Blitzboks after 15 years in the Sevens circuit as a player and coach as he takes on the role of Director of Rugby at the Sharks.

Powell's tenure will end after the Sevens World Cup in September and Soyizwapi is not looking forward to the looming farewell.

Soyizwapi is eager to give Powell the perfect send-off with the upcoming Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Sevens Rugby World Cup in Cape Town.

"Coach Neil has been part of the system for a really long time and he has formed an integral part of the success for this team," Soyizwapi told Sport24 at an Under Armour event at Green Point Stadium last week.

"His experience and contribution to the team is second to none.

"We're really going to miss him and we know the time is running out and it's almost time for him to say his goodbyes.

"We really want to turn things around, looking at the past two tournaments, and give him a couple of performances and a good send-off when he leaves us."

The Blitzboks currently lead the 2021/22 World Rugby Sevens Series standings by 124 points - two points ahead of Australia.

One tournament remains this season, with the Los Angeles Sevens set to take place only from 27-28 August at Dignity Health Sports Park.

"It's been a long season, and we started off really well. It was always going to be tough to keep that consistency," said Soyizwapi.

"I think we just deviated from our focus as a group and all the effort and implementation of the processes and game plan.

"It's all about shifting back and moving our focus to what works for us. And I think you could see with our performances in