No stoppin’ code-hoppin’ Senatla
SENATLA: PLAYING BOTH CODES MAKES YOU A MORE COMPLETE PLAYER Blitzbok coach chuffed with players’ Currie Cup exposure.
Blitzboks star Seabelo Senatla insists the popular perception that it’s more difficult to switch from Sevens to the 15-man format is a false one.
“Coming back to Sevens from fifteens is quite a bit more difficult than the other way around, but it has become relatively easy for me now because I am used to it,” said the dynamic playmaker ahead of this weekend’s Cape Town leg of the World Sevens Series.
“I have become used to shifting through the two systems.”
Despite eventually playing a vital role in South Africa’s third successive triumph in Dubai last week, Senatla initially also had some difficulty adapting again.
In the Blitzboks’ first game against Uganda, he conceded a penalty at the breakdown and had a knock-on with the tryline at his mercy.
But he put that rustiness behind him very quickly.
The 24-year-old Senatla makes no secret of the fact that his ultimate ambition remains becoming a Springbok in the 15-man game, yet is more than happy to jump between codes currently.
“I do have a plan of becoming a 15-man Springbok, and later in my career I will probably specialise in 15s and only play that code. But for now I like transitioning between the two as it helps me improve as a player and grow.
“Sevens gives you one thing and the 15-man game gives you others, so playing both makes you a more complete player,” he said.
A dominant theme of the Blitzboks’ off-season was indeed how various stars – Senatla, Kwagga Smith, Chris Dry, Rosko Specman, Cecil Afrika and Werner Kok – turned out for respective provinces in the Currie Cup and coach Neil Powell is pleased with how it’s added to his team’s overall product.
“The 15-man game has definitely helped the players who have returned and it has turned out to be a good decision to let so many of them play 15s,” said the Blitzbok mentor.
“Some of them have made improvements that have really caused me to raise my eyebrows.”