All about that pace for Blitzboks

The Springbok Sevens battled to counter USA’s speedsters, but coach Neil Powell believes that his team have enough pace in the side for this weekend's Cape Town Sevens.

The Springbok Sevens battled to counter USA’s speedsters, but coach Neil Powell believes that his team have enough pace in the side for this weekend’s Cape Town Sevens.

Powell named a 12-man squad for the Cape Town Stadium tournament on Thursday, with the two expected new faces being Rosko Specman and Dylan Sage, who replaced the injured Cecil Afrika (hamstring) and Werner Kok (knee).

The South African Rugby Union announced on Thursday that World Sevens Player of the Year Kok has been ruled out for “at least six months” after undergoing knee surgery, while Afrika has been sidelined for two weeks.

But it is the Americans, who knocked out the Blitzboks in the Cup competition in Dubai last week, who loom as the dangermen for the South Africans once again.

The draw for the Cape Town Sevens pit the Pool B and C winners and runner-ups against each other, with the Blitzboks’ main opposition in Pool B being Dubai finalists England, while the US have to contend with Australia in Pool C.

Apart from the US, though, Dubai champions Fiji, England and Australia have a number of quick men, while the South Africans’ only out-and-out speedster is Seabelo Senatla. The next-in-line is Cheslin Kolbe, but he is being utilised as a playmaker instead of a wing this weekend in the absence of Afrika.

So there may be a lack of pace in the South African squad, but Powell doesn’t agree. And asked if it wasn’t worth a consideration to rest Senatla in some of the pool matches to keep him fresher for the Cup quarter-finals, Powell said on Thursday: “We don’t think so. You have to get through the pool first in order to make it to the Cup quarter-final.

“We can’t rest players during the tournament, as it could affect our chances of going through. We can’t play (captain and forward) Kyle Brown on the wing! If it means that Seabelo must play four or five games, then so be it.

“Cheslin is very quick over the first 30 or 40 metres, while Rosko Specman had a very good tournament for the Samurai team (essentially the Blitzbok B team) in Dubai. He ran around a few of the English players, while Justin Geduld also showed some good pace for us.”

Brown will play in his 50th World Rugby Sevens tournament in his home city of Cape Town.

The Blitzboks open their tournament on Saturday against Zimbabwe (12.49pm), with the second match against Kenya (4.10pm), followed by England (7.56pm).

SPRINGBOK SEVENS TEAM (Number of tournaments in brackets)

Chris Dry (45), Philip Snyman (31), Francois Hougaard (1), Kwagga Smith (16), Dylan Sage (0), Kyle Brown (Captain, 49), Cheslin Kolbe (9), Rayno Benjamin (30), Justin Geduld (19), Rosko Specman (6), Seabelo Senatla (20), Juan de Jongh (2).

ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za

@IndyCapeSport