FINAL SEVENS HURRAH FOR SENATLA AND SMITH
SEABELO Senatla and Kwagga Smith are worlds apart as rugby players‚ yet both are vital members of a Blitzbok team that is on the threshold of something massive.
Senatla is lithe‚ jet-fast and trickier than a conman convention, while Smith is rugged‚ hard and as direct as a phone call from the SA Revenue Service.
Despite their differences, both have been essential in the Blitzboks’ growth over the past three seasons.
This weekend in Sydney‚ Australia – round four of the HSBC World Sevens Series – marks the end of their contribution to the Blitzboks’ 201617 campaign and perhaps‚ their last altogether.
Both stars will return to their Super Rugby franchises early next week – Senatla to the Stormers and Smith to the Lions – where the next phase of their careers begins in earnest.
Both want to become 15s Springboks but until now they have only dabbled in the longer version of the game – Smith more so than Senatla.
But the Blitzboks have not been a diversion on the way to something bigger. Sevens Rugby have been essential in moulding these two players into exciting and brilliant players they are.
Both players are 23 years old, yet have a combined 290 caps for the Blitzboks and a combined 232 tries.
Senatla is going out as South Africa’s leading Sevens try-scorer, with 180 in 161 matches. And more should come this weekend.
Smith has scored 52 tries in his 129 series matches.
Their experience includes gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2016 Olympics.
Senatla, of course, is the World Sevens player of the year and a man who‚ barring injury‚ should comfortably become a Springbok this year.
His natural gifts will translate easily into 15s rugby, because regardless of the level‚ there is no substitute for raw pace. Throw in a strong defensive game‚ good awareness of space and an insatiable work ethic.
There is a feeling that Senatla is actually making the full-time switch a little too late in his career.
Kiwi wing Julian Savea made his test debut at 21, in 2012‚ has earned 52 senior caps‚ scored 45 test tries and won a World Cup. He is only 26.
But playing Sevens and going to the Olympics was a decision that Senatla made.
He wanted to go to Rio and when he looks back at his career‚ it will not be a decision he would easily regret. Those opportunities rarely come.
Smith‚ a flank in 15s rugby‚ might not have a straightforward road into the Boks‚ let alone the Lions starting team.
At 1.82m at about 93kg‚ Smith is not cut from a traditional Bok flank blueprint.
Smith makes up for his relative lack of bulk and height with superb skills‚ a good turn of pace and impressive defensive numbers.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann is likely to employ him at openside‚ but given his ball-carrying skills‚ Smith could also be used as a No 7.
It might make him the smallest South African blindside flank in the professional era‚ but it would be an interesting experiment now that Warwick Tecklenburg has retired.
The departure of the two Blitzboks stalwarts will leave coach Neil Powell with a big selection problem in the coming months‚ but that’s next week’s issue.
For South Africa, though‚ there is only focus on Sydney and widening the 12-point gap‚ which they hold over Fiji‚ at the top of the standings.