Germans focus on speed ahead of International 7's tourney

With the annual Safland Sevens Rugby tournament set to be held here on November 12-13, German team manager Manuel Wilhelm said his team has already started gearing up and is looking forward to the challenge.

About the team's preparation for the trip to Namibia, Wilhelm on Tuesday said his team started training again two weeks ago, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The Safland Sevens will be the first time they'll be back playing after the European Grand Prix Series in July," he said.

He said the upcoming tournament is a perfect opportunity to try out some new players and combinations.

"We are very excited for what will prove to be a real test for us," he said

According to Wilhelm, speed is a big factor in sevens rugby.

"Unfortunately, we do not have super fast players. So getting faster is a big focus in our preparation. We have a couple of pacy players like Marvin Dieckmann and Tim Biniak, though," he added.

Germany accepted the invitation to the tournament alongside the national teams of Namibia, South Africa, United States, Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and others who will be testing their skills.

Most of the countries will also use the Namibian tournament as a preparation platform for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series slated for December in Dubai.

--IANS

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