TUNIS: With less than a week to go until the Africa Men's Sevens 2024, which will take place in Port Louis, Mauritius, from June 29 to July 7, Jérémy Aicardi, the new Tunisian national team coach, spoke to TAP news agency about the Tunisian Sevens' preparations and their goals for the competition: TAP: How far along are the national sevens team's preparations for the Africa Men's Sevens 2024? J. Aicardi: I've been coaching the boys for five weeks and we're currently in our sixth training camp, with just six days to go before we leave for Mauritius. Three months to prepare for the Africa Men's Sevens 2024 is a very short time. It's a challenge we have to meet... Since arriving last April, I've made sure the players get plenty of rugby, with a typical day consisting of three training sessions and a morning wake-up call. Having the rugby pitch nearby and the weights and recovery rooms at our disposal has made the task much easier. TAP: How would you rate the work done so far? J. Aicardi: My main objective wa s to see how good the players were at rugby. We had six weeks to give ourselves the tools to succeed and we worked hard to be ready in time. My motto for the players was to come with a smile on their faces, have fun and be ready to represent the country well and bring honour to Tunisian rugby. The training sessions lasted between 55 and 70 minutes, but there were many changes off the field. Creating a family in the space of six weeks is never easy, but the moments of conviviality and camaraderie shared off the pitch have welded the group together. TAP: How did you choose your squad and how many players will you be fielding in the tournament? J. Aicardi: We have called up 16 players in order to prepare well for the competition, and we will limit them to 12 for the continental tournament. Of the 16 players on the extended list, 5 are French, including four with dual nationality and only one French player with Tunisian roots. The rest of the squad is made up of local players. The final list will be drawn up b y Monday at the latest. When we looked at the tournaments in which the Tunisian Sevens had already participated, it turned out that only four of the players in my squad had taken part. That's why we rebalanced some of the profiles on the pitch and changed the positioning before the competition. TAP: With your opponents already known, what are your ambitions for this competition? J. Aicardi: With Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Uganda in our group, we know it's going to be tough and that the first game is very important to get into the competition. Our mission, which I've dubbed the "Africa Sevens Mission", is to finish in the top 6 and book our place in the qualifying tournament for the next World Cup (the first 8 teams will qualify for this tournament). Today, African rugby has come a long way. It's a fast-paced game with boys on their feet and we won't have to give them too much space. We'll play within our means and defend our chances right to the end, provided we negotiate the game well, especially in attack. I remain convinced that the team will put in a very good performance. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse