Kwagga is on a mission to play for Boks
SEVENS sensation Kwagga Smith has decided to focus only on the 15-man game in an attempt to become a Springbok and play at next year’s World Cup in Japan.
The 24-year-old, who plays as openside flank for the Lions, announced his decision to put Sevens on hold yesterday afternoon.
He said he sat down with the Lions management and also spoken to Blitzbok coach Neil Powell before making the decision.
The long-term injury to Bok and Lions teammate Jaco Kriel, who also specialises as an openside flank, made Smith bring his decision forward.
“My goal for the next two years is to become a Springbok... I want to wear the green and gold in 15s, and for me to achieve that I need to play as often as possible for the Lions,” said Smith yesterday. “We’ve sat down and spoken about it. “If Jaco was fit and ready to play then it would have been okay for me to go to the Commonwealth Games (in Australia in mid April).
“But it doesn’t help if I go there and also get injured; that would hurt the Lions.
“Neil knows what my goals are and now that Jaco is out (for six months) I’m not going to be released for the Commonwealth Games. “This is my decision; it makes sense. “I want to be a Springbok. I already missed one game (two weekends ago against the Bulls) and don’t want to miss more.
“I want to give myself the best chance I can to play for the Boks, and go to the World Cup, and that obviously means me playing as often as possible for the Lions.”
Smith also revealed he had signed on to play Super Rugby for another year with the Lions; his new deal now ending after next year’s competition.
The versatile flank’s uninterrupted availability for the Lions in Super Rugby will be a big boost for coach Swys de Bruin and his team who not only have to make do without Kriel – who is only back in September – but also captain Warren Whiteley (knee injury) for the next four weeks.
Smith already has a Commonwealth Games gold medal, having been part of the South African Sevens team that beat New Zealand 17-12 in the final in Glasgow four years ago. Whiteley was also part of that 12-man squad.
It won’t only be Smith looking to make a big impression on his national coach in the coming weeks, but a former Cheetahs and Bulls player, Lappies Labuschagne, too, who is hoping to represent Japan at the World Cup next year. And, the two openside specialists are set for a head-tohead battle at Ellis Park this weekend when the Lions host the Sunwolves, for whom Labuschagne now plays.
While the Tokyo-based team are not the scariest side in the world to face, it’ll be a big test for the Lions, who are coming off a rare defeat, suffered last weekend against the Blues in Johannesburg.
“We learnt a lot in that game,” said Smith. “We weren’t as focused as we needed to be, especially in the final 20 minutes. Things got a bit panicky, but the good thing is it’s early in the season and we’ve got time to make up for it.”
And with regards to facing the Sunwolves and Labuschagne this weekend, Smith said: “Every week is a different challenge... and we certainly can’t underestimate them. What we really need to do is ensure we get back to our own high standards and play accordingly for the full 80 minutes.” STORMERS coach Robbie Fleck says he’s confident they’re playing “good football” following their tour to Australasia.
The Stormers returned to Cape Town after facing the Waratahs, Crusaders and Highlanders without a win, and unlike last year, they managed to have a say in those games, especially the last two, unlike last year, when they suffered heavy defeats to the Crusaders, Highlanders and Hurricanes.
And although their trip included a loss to a Waratahs side that produced a mediocre performance, Fleck believes that they were “good enough to win that game”.
“In the Waratahs game we were leading at one stage and it was locked at the death, we made an error and they scored a good try to beat us at the end. We felt fairly disappointed that we didn’t win that game, and we felt that we weren’t playing at our best, but we were still good enough to win that game,” Fleck said.
“Against the Crusaders… in the first 20 minutes they fed off our mistakes, but in the last 60 minutes we were the dominant side. And with the last game we were leading 14-5 or whatever it was and we got another linebreak and Ben Smith was off his feet and we could have got a penalty there to go up, but it was a different game. We made a mistake and they scored a try, but we let ourselves down and suddenly they get an opportunity to score.
“We certainly grew on tour, and with every single game we improved. We’re pretty confident that we’re on the right track and that we’re playing good football.”
In terms of the team, Fleck said they’re going to have to manage their second-row resources carefully. In terms of personnel, the Stormers are running low on lock stocks with Eben Etzebeth being injured (and his return date indefinite), while promising forward JD Schickerling and Chris van Zyl are also on the injury list.
Following their return to Cape Town after failing to secure a win on their tour to Australasia, Fleck was particularly impressed with Salmaan Moerat – who was called to New Zealand amid a secondrow injury crisis and made his debut off the bench in impressive style against the Highlanders.
Pieter-Steph du Toit – who missed out against the Highlanders after taking a blow to the head against the Crusaders – is fit for the clash at Newlands against Tana Umaga’s outfit. And while the Stormers coach is pleased with the efforts of Jan de Klerk and Van Zyl – who stood in the absence of the Springbok lock duo – he is happy to have Du Toit back.
“Pieter-Steph is looking fully fit and recovered, and he is a boost to the squad,” Fleck said at a press conference in Bellville yesterday.
“In saying that, I think that Jan de Klerk, Chris van Zyl and Salmaan Moerat did a good job at the weekend, in particular Salmaan – he had a really good game for such a young kid. I think the boys were really impressed with the attitude that he came in with. But it’s good to know what we’ve got now in terms of depth.
“And I think the important thing now is that we manage him like we did with Damian Willemse last year – we don’t want to push him too hard or too early. We’ll give him those opportunities when they come around. It’s awesome to see a 20-year-old perform like that under difficult circumstances.
“So with our lock situation we’re going to have to be quite careful with how we manage that over the next couple of weeks. There’s a few challenges in the lock department, so we may have to look at a few alternative measures. There’s Cobus Wiese who can maybe cover there or Kobus van Dyk, but the way Salmaan and Jan de Klerk are going there, we’re pretty good with the locks we’ve got at the moment.”
The Cape side are also in a predicament at the back, after SP Marais’ rib injury – which could see him miss this weekend’s action – and Seabelo Senatla’s groin injury, which is expected to rule him out for up to six weeks.
Fleck confirmed that Dillyn Leyds is likely to start at No 15, and said that JJ Engelbrecht is likely to come in at wing, while they also have Craig Barry available.
“It’s unfortunate that Dillyn has had to move around a lot, he hasn’t been able to settle in,” Fleck said.