(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
Allan Bunting returns to the scene where it all began and, a year on, he hopes that his New Zealand side can mirror the same performance which has seen them rule the women's game.
Bunting, the understudy to Sean Horan, was promoted as the coach of the Black Ferns Sevens last year and the Dubai Rugby Sevens was his first assignment. After banishing the demons of Rio with a tactical masterclass against Australia here in Dubai, the Seven Sisters won all but one leg of the HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series to clinch their fourth Series title.
Quite obviously, Sarah Goss and her side will have a target on their back again when the new season begins this weekend with Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, but Bunting said that their focus was only on the first game and they are not looking too far ahead.
"When you play against the New Zealand team, it brings out the best in others. It doesn't matter who you are playing, you got to be prepared, you got a good performance together or you will lose. So, we are just 100 percent focused on our first game against South Africa," Bunting said on Wednesday.
The Black Ferns are placed in Pool A with the USA, France and South Africa Renfred Dazel's side in their opener on Thursday.
The Sevens Sisters may have utterly dominated the women's version but Bunting felt there is always scope for improvement. "There is still a huge room for improvement. We are focused on doing things a little bit quicker and more intense," he said.
"It is just exciting for us. We feel that we can grow, not just our players but the management group too, we can all get better, we can all get better together. If we can do that together, we can reach our potential," added Bunting.
New Zealand will renew their trans-Tasmanian rivalry against Australia in Dubai but Bunting felt that other teams too could pose a threat.
"Australia are always a threat. They are a really good side and they are one of the most consistent sides over the last five years. Definitely, they are a threat but every team is a threat now. We focus on South Africa, we got France and USA. They have troubled us, the USA beat us last year so, we are not looking any further than our first game. We get through that and we go on to the next one," said Bunting.
Dubai Rugby Sevens 2017:Nov 30 to Dec 2 POOLS
MEN:
Pool A: South Africa, Canada, Kenya, Uganda
Pool B: England, Scotland, France, Spain
Pool C: Fiji, Australia, Wales, Russia
Pool D: New Zealand, USA, Argentina, Samoa
WOMEN:
Pool A: New Zealand, USA, France, South Africa
Pool B: Australia, Russia, England, Japan
Pool C: Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Spain
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