Senatla the tonic Blitzboks needed
Try-glutton back to help SA salvage top status
After a frustrating Super Rugby campaign that has seen Seabelo Senatla become something unimaginable – ordinary – the crown prince of sevens rugby is set to return to his natural habitat.
Senatla has been included in the Blitzboks’ squads for the final two rounds of the HSBC World Sevens Series in London and Paris.
Goodness knows‚ the Blitzboks need him after losing their status at the top of the World Series standings in Singapore last month.
With only two tournaments left to overhaul Fiji‚ the Blitzboks need something to give them the winning edge‚ having not won a tournament since round one in Dubai last December.
Senatla is that perfect something. He wasn’t supposed to play for the SA Sevens team again this season but Blitzbok coach Neil Powell came calling and Stormers coach Robbie Fleck obliged.
The Stormers’ Super Rugby campaign is effectively over anyway.
The try-glutton is fifth on the all-time sevens try scorers list with 219 World Series tries in 193 matches. Incredibly, Senatla is still fifth on this season’s tryscoring list with 30 tries.
He’s only seven tries behind leading scorer‚ Perry Baker – of the USA‚ yet he hasn’t played since the fourth leg in Hamilton. Baker has played six more matches than Senatla this season.
Given his strike rate of 1.1 tries per game‚ if Senatla sticks to his average‚ he should move up to third on the all time list.
Third-placed Santiago Gomez Cora scored 230 tries in his illustrious career‚ but no one‚ not even all-time leader Dan Norton (287 tries) of England does it at a better strike rate. Norton’s tries come at 0.8 tries per game.
“It’s great to be back but this isn’t the end of 15s rugby for me‚” Senatla said.
“There was good interaction between the Blitzboks and the Stormers and a rational decision was made.
“We’ve been talking for two weeks and this is in the best interest of the Blitzboks‚ myself and the Stormers,” he said.
“I haven’t struggled to get back into the pace and intensity, but I had to adapt to those small details that are different in fifteens.”
‘‘ It’s great to be back but this isn’t the end of 15s rugby for me; I haven’t struggled