Sevens
Delport blow for Blitzbokke
2012-02-07 16:18
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Cape Town - Paul Delport injured his cheekbone in Wellington last Saturday and is set to miss out on the Springbok Sevens team's defence of their Las Vegas title over the weekend.
The USA tournament is the fifth leg of the Sevens World Series, which consists of nine tournaments overall.
Delport sustained the injury during the Plate Final victory over Tonga in Wellington. Luckily for the Blitzbokke, they travelled to New Zealand and the United States with two extra players, which make the call-up for a replacement from home unnecessary.
South Africa Sevens coach, Paul Treu, will most likely announce his 12-man squad late on Wednesday afternoon. Chase Minnaar and Renfred Dazel were the non-playing reserves in Wellington and one of them will replace the experienced Delport.
According to Treu his team has settled in nicely after the long trip from Wellington, which included a five hour busy trip to their Las Vegas hotel after their arrival in the United States.
“It is really nice and encouraging to see the players in a positive mood. Las Vegas is one of their favourite venues and you could sense upbeat mood from the moment we arrived here. We have a title to defend and we will give it our best effort,” said Treu.
New Zealand top the Series log with 73 points, followed by Fiji on 70, England have 64 and South Africa 61.