With the Rio 2016 Olympics on the horizon, the World Series Sevens circuit has taken on far more importance than it has at any stage of its life.For the Blitzbokke, it is an opportunity to lay a marker after their disappointing Dubai outing. After years of competing with Port Elizabeth, Cape Town finally gets to host the Sevens today and tomorrow.
It will be something the Blitzbokke will be accustomed to as they often had good numbers at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Neil Powell’s side have often found an extra leg at home, shown by their dominance of the Port Elizabeth leg where they won two out of the four editions.
A tournament like the Sevens allows for smaller and unheralded nations to spring a surprise, which was the case when the US beat South Africa in the Cup quarterfinals last weekend.
The US won the Twickenham tournament in the 2014-15 edition, laying a marker of what was to come in Dubai, despite the contentious nature of their quarterfinal win.
In beating New Zealand in the third-place play-off, they have announced themselves as strong contenders.
South Africa have been punished for their early exit by finding themselves in a tough pool with England, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
On any other day, they would have been backed to negotiate their way out of the group easily but the Dubai tournament showed nothing can be taken for granted.
There are ever present threats of New Zealand and Fiji, who enjoy playing in South Africa. They may enjoy significant support in Cape Town.
The 13 points earned from their Plate final win left them in fifth place on the series table. They are not out of the running but Powell’s side has shown an ability to find form at peculiar stages of the tournament.
They started well last year with wins in Dubai and Port Elizabeth but faded in the key stretches, which included New Zealand and Hong Kong. The latter remains the pie in the sky but that will be dealt with on the second weekend of April.
In picking a squad containing Chris Dry, Kyle Brown, Justin Geduld, Seabelo Senatla and Rosko Specman, there is pace, flair and power combined.
Werner Kok’s physical presence will be missed as the powerhouse has been ruled out for six months with a knee injury.
Cecil Afrika also will not grace the Sevens with a hamstring injury that will see him sidelined for two weeks.
They have been replaced by Specman and Dylan Sage, with the latter being an unknown quantity. Specman has featured in six tournaments but his fast feet have already been a feature in South African rugby with the Pumas in the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup.
Whether he has the play-making skill set and kicking that Afrika offers remains to be seen. Afrika’s absence from an experience perspective is offset by the likes of Brown and Rayno Benjamin, with the former set to play in his 50th tournament.
Blitzbokke ready to play
For the Blitzbokke, it is an opportunity to lay a marker after their disappointing Dubai outing. After years of competing with Port Elizabeth, Cape Town finally gets to host the Sevens today and tomorrow.
It will be something the Blitzbokke will be accustomed to as they often had good numbers at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Neil Powell’s side have often found an extra leg at home, shown by their dominance of the Port Elizabeth leg where they won two out of the four editions.
A tournament like the Sevens allows for smaller and unheralded nations to spring a surprise, which was the case when the US beat South Africa in the Cup quarterfinals last weekend.
The US won the Twickenham tournament in the 2014-15 edition, laying a marker of what was to come in Dubai, despite the contentious nature of their quarterfinal win.
In beating New Zealand in the third-place play-off, they have announced themselves as strong contenders.
South Africa have been punished for their early exit by finding themselves in a tough pool with England, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
On any other day, they would have been backed to negotiate their way out of the group easily but the Dubai tournament showed nothing can be taken for granted.
There are ever present threats of New Zealand and Fiji, who enjoy playing in South Africa. They may enjoy significant support in Cape Town.
The 13 points earned from their Plate final win left them in fifth place on the series table. They are not out of the running but Powell’s side has shown an ability to find form at peculiar stages of the tournament.
They started well last year with wins in Dubai and Port Elizabeth but faded in the key stretches, which included New Zealand and Hong Kong. The latter remains the pie in the sky but that will be dealt with on the second weekend of April.
In picking a squad containing Chris Dry, Kyle Brown, Justin Geduld, Seabelo Senatla and Rosko Specman, there is pace, flair and power combined.
Werner Kok’s physical presence will be missed as the powerhouse has been ruled out for six months with a knee injury.
Cecil Afrika also will not grace the Sevens with a hamstring injury that will see him sidelined for two weeks.
They have been replaced by Specman and Dylan Sage, with the latter being an unknown quantity. Specman has featured in six tournaments but his fast feet have already been a feature in South African rugby with the Pumas in the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup.
Whether he has the play-making skill set and kicking that Afrika offers remains to be seen. Afrika’s absence from an experience perspective is offset by the likes of Brown and Rayno Benjamin, with the former set to play in his 50th tournament.
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