Shujaa boss reveals remedy for improved performances after disappointing start

Damian McGrath, head coach of the men’s national rugby 7s side, has called on his team to check on their consistency and cut down on mistakes if they are to survive the grueling 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series campaign.

In a year that will see the number of men’s participating teams reduced from 16 to 12 in aligning with the Olympic competition model and bringing the number of men’s and women’s teams even, Shujaa have made a dismal start to the season as they sit in 14th place on the log having collected only nine points from the opening three outings held in Hong Kong, Dubai and Cape Town.

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As a result of those performances, the team is lodged in one of the four spots that have been assigned to enter a four-team relegation play-off together with the Challenger Series 2023 winners with the eventual winner becoming the 12th core team on the 2024 Series.

Ahead of the fourth outing of the season, the Englishman pointed at the areas the team needs to work on in order to continue their stay at the elite level.

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“We have to get consistency in our matches. I think four times in the opening three outings this season, we were 14-0 up against top teams but we did not manage to get the games finished off.

We drew against Australia, who are the world champions; we should have beaten Fiji but we lost by one score and Ireland beat us in overtime when we only had five men.

We cannot stand tall with these teams but we need consistency in our performances because more often than not it is our mistakes that allow teams back into games. So if we can iron that bit out, we will be okay,” the head coach told Mozzart Sport.

How have Shujaa performed so far?

The McGrath currently coached side had a woeful start to the season as they finished last in the season opening outing held in Hong Kong back in November where they finished in last place, garnering only one point after losing all its matches.

In the second outing that took place in Dubai, Shujaa managed an 11th placed finish where they took five points for their exploits.

In the recently concluded Cape Town 7s, the team finished in 13th place which gave them three points leading to a total of nine points after the three outings.