Rugby
SA Sevens prepare for season
2009-11-04 15:40
Paul Delport (Gallo Images)
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Johannesburg - South Africa continue with preparations for the upcoming international season when they defends their title at the Singapore Cricket Club Sevens tournament this coming weekend.
Paul Treu's team will again be running out in the colours of the SA Vipers. The tournament celebrates its 62nd year and the South Africans will be determined to defend the Ablitt Cup successfully.
The Springbok Sevens pre-season preparations so far included warm-up tournaments in Middelburg and at Brookside (Villager Rugby Club), while the SCC Sevens will afford the IRB Sevens World Series-winning coach a last opportunity to test some combinations before the start of the international season.
The South Africans will defend their tournament titles in Dubai and George on consecutive weekends in December.
"We still have a lot of work to do before we can travel to Dubai with confidence," said Treu. "Singapore gives us the opportunity to try some new things and also to have a closer look at how some of the newcomers will perform in a very competitive environment."
According to the Singapore organisers, the other South African teams playing in the tournament are the Blue Bull Barbarians, Durban Harlequins, the SA Universities and the Sharks Academy.
For the trip to the Far East, Treu included four new players to his crop of contracted regulars, namely JW Jonker (Cheetahs), Chris Dry (Cheetahs Under-21), Steven Hunt (WP Under-21) and Bernado Botha (Lions Under-21).
The rest of the squad includes the newly crowned 2009 SA Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Frankie Horne, Kyle Brown, Marius Schoeman, Paul Delport, Cecil Afrika, Mzwandile Stick, Mpho Mbiyozo and Shaun Venter (Pumas).
The SA Vipers' Singapore opponents will be known on Thursday after the draw of the assembled teams.