BlitzBoks unleashed on Currie Cup
Several Springbok Sevens squad members have been released to play in the upcoming Currie Cup, which kicks off next week.
Seabelo Senatla will turn out for the defending champions Western Province, while Albertus Smith has returned to the Golden Lions.
Ruhan Nel and Sandile Ngcobo will be in action for the Griquas, who recently secured their spot in the Currie Cup after winning the Qualifier competition.
Two of Ngcobo’s SA Sevens Academy teammates, Lungelo Gosa and Sibahle Maxwane, have joined the Under-21 teams of the Golden Lions and Western Province respectively.
The Springbok Sevens squad will play in two pre-season tournaments as they prepare for a historic campaign which includes a bigger, revamped World Rugby Sevens Series and the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
The South Africans will contest the 2015 SAFLand Sevens taking place on 25 and 26 September in Windhoek, Namibia, before travelling to Singapore a month later to participate in the 68th edition of the hugely popular Singapore Cricket Club Sevens event.
The squad have assembled at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS) to start their pre-season training programme following their end-of-season break.
The 2015/16 Sevens World Rugby Sevens Series kicks off on 4 and 5 December in Dubai and Series champion will be crowned after the conclusion of Round 10 at Twickenham (20 to 22 May).
Neil Powell, the Springbok Sevens coach, emphasised the significance of the forthcoming season.
“The new season will be the most important Sevens season yet. The prospects of an Olympic gold medal in Rio and success in the revamped World Series are two massive incentives for all the teams. We have been working very hard to finalise our preparation plans in order to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves,” said Powell.
