Crystal Kaua: 'I think the biggest difference was the crowd'

Brazil credited the support of a home crowd for driving them to HSBC SVNS 2 success in São Paulo.

The South Americans’ surprise victory at the third and final stop of the second tier competition qualified Crystal Kaua’s team for the HSBC SVNS World Championship.

Coming into the tournament, Brazil were outsiders to claim the fourth and final World Championship stop after a sixth-place finish in Nairobi and a fifth-place finish in Montevideo.

Now As Yaras have events in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux to look forward to, where the chance to reclaim a HSBC SVNS Series place is also up for grabs at the end of nine days’ action.

“I must say that the crowd, with the girls surrounded by family and friends, gave something to the Brazilians,” Kaua said.

“And it was much more than that. It was about playing for everyone and playing in front of family and friends, in front of whom they hadn’t played for a long time.

“So I think the biggest difference was the crowd and the people, for the feeling, the spirit of support and love for the girls.”

This week Brazil were drawn in Pool A with Series champions New Zealand, as well as Fiji and Brazil ahead of the trip to Hong Kong.

At Estadio Nicolau Alayon the electric Thalia Costa was named Player of the Tournament for her efforts over two days beneath the South American sun, which included a brace of tries against Kenya in a winner-takes-all clash.

“Our team is special and magical, we have people who are the foundation, people who are the magic, people who do the simple things well,” Aline Furtado, As Yaras‘ captain, said.

“That’s what builds our team. It was just a matter of fine-tuning things and getting everyone on the same page. These are the differences that make us strong and so special.”