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Johannesburg - Springbok Sevens wing Seabelo Senatla has been declared fit and has resumed training after suffering an ankle injury in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Senatla joined the Springbok Sevens in Stellenbosch after the squad who played in the United States and New Zealand received a well-deserved rest.
The full Springbok Sevens training squad is now in camp again preparing for the next two rounds of the HSBC Sevens World Series tournaments in Tokyo and Hong Kong respectively.
Senatla, despite not playing in the Cup final against New Zealand, was the top try scorer in Las Vegas with six tries in his first World Series outing this season. He missed the previous three rounds because of a troublesome back. An ankle niggle, meanwhile, forced him out of the Wellington Sevens, where the Springbok Sevens lost to their Kiwi rivals in their bid to win a third successive World Series Cup final this season.
Neil Powell, the Springbok Sevens coach, explained that the players who were not involved in the last two rounds, continued with their training at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sports. Yesterday they were joined by the rest of players who performed well in Las Vegas and Wellington.
“We will take it easy this week with the players who returned from a very demanding three-week tour. They received a well-deserved break and their training yesterday and today (Thursday and Friday) has been conditioning-orientated, so it has been in the gym,” explained Powell.
Several players returned home with niggles from the USA and NZ, but the good news is that almost all of them will be fit and available for selection for the next two World Series events in the Far East.
Justin Geduld and Stephan Dippenaar should recover well in time from their knee troubles. Rosco Speckman suffered damaged ligaments in his left ankle in Las Vegas and he will see a specialist on Friday again.
With just four more rounds to play, South Africa are currently second on the World Series log, just two points behind New Zealand. The South Africans have so far managed to reach four of the five Cup finals, winning back-to-back titles in Las Vegas and Port Elizabeth and finishing in second place in Dubai and Wellington respectively.
The next World Series tournament will be hosted in Tokyo on March 22 and 23, with the Hong Kong leg following from March 28 to 30.
Meanwhile, South Africa were drawn in Pool B when the groups were confirmed for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. SA are grouped alongside Kenya, the Cook Islands as well as Trinidad and Tobago.
The 20th Commonwealth Games takes place from July 23 to August 3, and the Sevens programme is scheduled for the weekend of July 26 and 27 at the Ibrox Stadium.
