Renfred Dazel represented the Blitzboks in 32 tournaments all over the world, but despite this experience the newly-appointed Springbok Sevens assistant coach still has a few butterflies in the stomach in the build-up to this weekend's Sydney Sevens.
The Blitzboks will be defending their crown at the Allianz Stadium when the third tournament on the World Rugby Sevens Series kicks off on Friday. It will be Dazel first tournament in his new role, although he did sit on the South African bench during the Cape Town leg in December.
"I have played and worked with Neil Powell before, so this is not completely new to me," explained Dazel, who was Springbok Women's Sevens head coach until the end of last year.
"I assisted him at the Olympic Games in 2016 (where South Africa won bronze) and during the Cape Town Sevens last December, and we were teammates for a couple of years. The women's team also shared the same base in Stellenbosch, so I really slotted in with ease.
"There is less pressure for the assistant coach, which allows me to focus on the task at hand -- more personal and one-on-one coaching with the players. I am taking care of the attack and the one thing we picked up from our performance in Cape Town, was a need to improve with ball in hand. We have shifted some of the focus of our preparations towards that.
"I am excited and a bit nervous about the weekend, but that is a good sign," Dazel added.
Veteran campaigner Kyle Brown will be playing in his 61st tournament. He missed the previous two tournaments in New South Wales due to injury, but Australia is not new to him as he has played in the Adelaide and Gold Coast tournaments before.
"I had a quiet stroll around the city this morning to check out some of the coffee shops," Brown said. He could be playing in his 300th match for South Africa this weekend, but Brown prefers not to focus on this achievement.
"Nothing was made of my 100th or 200th matches, so I don't quite know what to with that. I am just happy to be back with the squad," he said.
The Springbok Sevens team open the tournament with a Pool C clash against Papua New Guinea on Friday, before facing Spain and England on Saturday.