Share

Afrika, Kok to join Blitzbokke

Cape Town - Ace playmaker Cecil Afrika and debutant Werner Kok will join the Springbok Sevens team ahead of the last tournament of the HSBC World Sevens Series, the Marriott Sevens, to be played at Twickenham in London on May 11 and 12.

The duo will replace Seabelo Senatla and Justin Geduld, who will join the Junior Springboks squad in Stellenbosch to prepare for the Junior World Championship that kicks off in France later this month.

Afrika has been declared fit following a knee strain and comes in for Senatla, whilst winger Kok, who was part of the DHL Western Province team that won the Absa Under-19 Provincial Championship in 2012, will replace his outside centre in that team, Geduld.

A final call on the fitness of Paul Delport, who injured his knee in the 28-21 final victory over New Zealand at the Emirates Airlines Glasgow Sevens on Sunday, will be made once the squad has settled down in London, coach Paul Treu said.

“We are obviously very happy to have Cecil back,” said Treu. “He is a great player and motivates the rest of the team when he is fit and playing. With him fully recovered following his knee strain, it will also be important for us to manage him well with an eye on the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow next month.

“He needs to get some game time under his belt and will also be important to provide guidance to the younger guys in the squad, like Werner and WJ Strydom.”
Strydom made his BlitzBok debut in Glasgow and now Kok, another product of the SARU Sevens Elite Player Development squad, will join him.

“Werner is a very hard worker, is quick and fast and will be able to cover at centre and hooker, so I am very happy to welcome him in the squad,” Treu said of the Nelspruit born and raised former Pumas Craven Week player.

Meanwhile South Africa’s win in Glasgow ensured a top seed for the Twickenham tournament and they will play USA, Australia and France in pool A.

Due to the promotion/relegation for core team status on the circuit, only 12 teams will contest the Cup in London. Pool B consists of New Zealand, Wales Canada and Kenya and pool C of England, Fiji, Samoa and Argentina.

The likes of Scotland, Portugal, Russia and Spain will contest the second tournament, with Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Tonga and Georgia all aiming to become one of the final three teams to qualify as a core team for 2013/14.
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
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1843 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1810 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1100 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 470 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 261 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