Sevens more than a stepping stone
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Frankie Horne says that playing Sevens gives young professional rugby players an edge over the competition.
Horne is one of the most experienced Sevens players in the world, and as someone who has specialised in the code, he has seen many players come and go from the BlitzBok set-up in his time.
The grizzled veteran first played Sevens for his country in 2007, with current coach Neil Powell as his captain, and since then has seen a number of players come through the system and go on to make a major impact in 15-man rugby.
He believes that exposure to the BlitzBoks set-up and international stage that Sevens offers gives young players an advantage by equipping them with unique skills and providing a professional environment.
"The quicker you get these guys exposed to Sevens the better they grow obviously, even when they leave us and go to 15s they use Sevens and work their way through.
"They become more familiar with a professional environment, they see space and normally have a better skillset when they go to 15s and they can always come back again," he told rugby365 in an exclusive interview.
Horne pointed to a few examples of players who have taen what they have learned with the BlitzBoks and used it to their advantage in the 15-man code.
"Cheslin Kolbe, Warren Whiteley and Cornal Hendricks are doing that, so these guys improve their skillset every year and take that back to the unions.
"We have got a few guys playing Currie Cup like Seabelo Senatla, Kwagga Smith and Justin Geduld, and wherever these guys go they take some of our stuff with them and bring other stuff back which we can share and learn from which makes it even better," he said.
Apart from the influence Sevens has on 15-man rugby, there are players such as Horne, captain Kyle Brown, Cecil Afrika and Branco du Preez who have made Sevens their focus and form the backbone of the national side.
Horne added that the continued development of Sevens specialists is vital if the BlitzBoks are to maintain their consistency in the World Series.
"A lot of the guys like myself and Kyle have been around for a while and committed to Sevens, it is not often that you get that.
"Cecil Afrika came here as a youngster and it took him a whole season to be Cecil Afrika, it took him a while but when he found his feet he became one of the best players in the world.
"I have also been a part of all the development structures and I have been here for a while now so if you can help other guys be better then you can leave a legacy and leave them with everything they need to know," he said.
At 32 Horne is nearing the end of his career, and says that he would love to stay involved in passing on his knowledge when he does finally retire from the game.
"It would be a shame not to contribute back to the game, with everything I have learned in my time here it would be a pity not to give something back so it would be nice to get involved.
"I have got other ventures to pursue but it would be nice to be involved in some way and give back as much as I possibly can," he said.
By Michael de Vries
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