No guarantees, but Sevens stint will sharpen up Notshe’s skill-set

SIKHUMBUZO NOTSHE is excited to embark on his Sevens campaign with the Blitzboks, and it’s a journey that every Notshe fan should be looking forward to as well.

Okay, fans of the skilful ball-player would probably have been just as keen, possibly even more so, to witness him do his thing with the Springboks on the end-ofyear tour as well. But that, unfortunately, will not be the case.

The Stormers forward is on loan from Western Province for the four Sevens events in Dubai, Cape Town, Hamilton and Sydney before returning to the Stormers in mid-February.

Notshe was part of the wider Springbok squad for the Incoming Tour against Ireland last year, while he also formed part of the SA A side that faced the England Saxons in 2016.

And now, as he prepares to get his first taste of the World Sevens circuit, the exciting loose forward says he’s keen to learn from the more experienced campaigners.

“It is pretty exciting to be able to join the World Series champions,” said Notshe.

“I am keen to learn from them as they are a pretty experienced group. The guys were pretty excited to get back together again and so am I – it is almost like the first day back at school for me.

“For me it will be all about learning from the old heads here.”

With his pace and skill, Notshe seems a perfect fit for the Sevens game, but as we all know, those aren’t the only attributes needed to make a decent Sevens player.

But this Currie Cup season especially, the 24-year-old has also shown that he doesn’t, at all, lack the physical edge – and we saw that every time he got stuck in at the breakdowns and in the collisions whenever he starred off the bench (which did, of course, strengthen the make-Notshe-a-Bok case).

That breakdown work and his defensive strengths – both crucial in Sevens – should make him a decent loan. He possesses a number of traits that could make the stint not too hard – there’s his fleet-footedness that should, for example, make it quite easy for him to track back from the point of contact and get into the defensive line in the abbreviated game.

There’s those livewire ways of his, and then there’s his know-how when it comes to handling the ball that you don’t see from forwards all the time.

And while Notshe can add to the Sevens game, the game can add to his Fifteens resume as well.

Sit in at any press conference where a coach who has a Sevens recruit or two in his arsenal discusses his players, and you’re almost guaranteed to hear that coach praise the Sevens guys for their work ethic.

Look at players like Werner Kok, Ruhan Nel, Seabelo Senatla, Kwagga Smith, and so on, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

But Notshe is already no slouch, and the intensity, the commitment and the emphasis with which the Blitzboks approach defence can only sharpen the Stormers back-rower in that department even more. And let’s not underestimate what a couple of months spent in the Sevens camp, in terms of conditioning, can do for any player.

Blitzboks coach Neil Powell was also quite upbeat about Notshe’s arrival.

“It is great to have Sikhumbuzo with us. He realises that a place in the squad is not guaranteed, but I am pleased to have a player of his abilities added to our squad.

“We are continually looking at extending our depth and player base and he certainly has the athletic abilities to play for the Blitzboks. He will need to show that he deserves a spot in the squad, but the same applies for all the other guys,” Powell said.