Singapore sevens: Injuries rock BlitzBoks
The BlitzBoks will face Kenya in the quarterfinals on Sunday, but will take to the field at the National Stadium without skipper Kyle Brown and World Rugby Player of the Year 2017 nominee Rosko Specman.
Specman injured his shoulder in the first match of the day, against Samoa, and was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
James Murphy, the travelling reserve player, replaced him.
The BlitzBoks overcame Samoa 26-15 and Canada 26-12 to qualify for the quarters, but still have to beat Argentina to remain unbeaten on Day One.
They did that, winning 26-12, but unfortunately saw Brown been stretchered off after a knee injury.
BlitzBok coach Neil Powell said the loss of two of his stalwarts is a setback, but creates an opportunity for the next player.
"We knew coming into the tournament that we were in a very physical pool, but losing Rosko and Kyle is a real setback, especially due to the experience they provided," Powell said.
"There is a nice opportunity now for the players stepping into their roles. We will be watching on with interest on how they do on Sunday."
The coach was pleased with Day One's overall performances.
"I am happy with our performances overall. We defended well and the guys trusted the system. We are still not as sharp on attack; we need to keep the ball a bit more."
🎥 Reaction: “Happy with how the guys looked after the system defensively!” @Blitzboks head coach @Neil5Powell as his side goes 3/3 on day 1 pic.twitter.com/SeZ1ePTZwe
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) April 28, 2018
