Share

One debutant for Blitzbokke

Cape Town - The Blitzbokke have named uncapped Golden Lions centre Ruhan Nel in their 12-man squad for the opening tournament of the Sevens World Series tournament at the Gold Coast, which takes place on October 11 and 12 in Australia.

Nel is one of four changes to the squad that won the Commonwealth Gold medal in Glasgow in their last outing in July.

Regular captain Kyle Brown is still recovering from shoulder surgery and will therefore miss the season kick-off at the Gold Coast.

Veteran forward Frankie Horne will lead the Blitzbokke in his 60th consecutive World Series tournament.

Cornal Hendricks and Warren Whitely were not considered as they are on Springbok duty, while Mark Richards has Currie Cup commitments at the Golden Lions.

Their unavailability paved the way for the return of fit-again regulars Philip Snyman, Stephan Dippenaar and Steven Hunt in the Springbok Sevens squad.

Flank Kwagga Smith will join the squad after the Golden Lions’ Currie Cup match against theSharks on Friday evening.

Speedster Seabelo Senatla and playmaker Justin Geduld have also returned from Absa Currie Cup duty with Western Province. The attacking duo have slotted in with ease at the team’s training sessions in Stellenbosch this week.

The 23-year old Nel has already represented the Lions in Super Rugby and is only the third player to make his Springbok Sevens debut since Neil Powell took over the coaching reigns at the beginning of last season.

With 2016 Olympic qualification looming large for all of the teams this season, Powell said the Springbok Sevens, just the like the 15 other participating teams, will be eager to strive for consistency from the opening tournament.

The top four teams on the final World Series standings will gain automatic entry into the Sevens competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

South Africa will face African rivals Kenya, Wales and American Samoa at the Gold Coast.

“We have worked hard in the past few weeks to get into shape for the Gold Coast,” explains Powell. “Our success in Glasgow will obviously bring added expectations, but we will keep our feet on the ground and continue to work hard to make sure we don’t become complacent,” added Powell.

The team will practise in Johannesburg from Thursday before their departure to Australia on Sunday evening.

The Springbok Sevens team to play at the Gold Coast is (SARU contracted unless indicated otherwise, World Series caps in brackets):

1. Chris Dry (37)
2. Philip Snyman (24)
3. Frankie Horne (59, captain)
4. Kwagga Smith (6)
5. Werner Kok (9)
6. Ruhan Nel (debutant, Golden Lions)
7. Justin Geduld (13)
8. Branco du Preez (32)
9. Stephan Dippenaar (21)
10. Cecil Afrika (30)
11. Steven Hunt (22)
12. Seabelo Senatla (10)
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE