Tough decisions awaiting Powell
AS THE clock keeps ticking ever closer to the cut-off date, Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell yesterday named his preliminary squad for the Rio Olympics.
Powell’s men have already had a productive season, ending second in the World Sevens Series thanks to a run of consistency, even if they sometimes lacked killer instinct in the key matches.
Among the 19 names that Powell revealed were 15-a-side stars Francois Hougaard, Ryan Kankowski, Juan de Jongh and Bryan Habana, all of whom have expressed their desire to be on the plane to Brazil.
The four played varying roles during the regular season, and it is still a bone of contention in some quarters that they have belatedly become part of the bigger picture.
Powell did fire a warning to Habana, though, stating that his place might be in jeopardy because of his club commitments.
Habana, currently turning out for French powerhouse Toulon, will only join the training squad once the French season is over, which means he will miss the start of the camp.
Understandably, Toulon will not grant the contracted Habana, an international star, early release, and that may well count against him in the final reckoning for places in the sevens squad.
Other names that feature in the squad are newcomers Tim Agaba, Dylan Sage and Siviwe Soyizwapi, who all enjoyed promising breakout seasons on the global circuit.
Powell’s men were not helped during the season by injuries to several key players, but he will be hoping for a smooth next few weeks before he has to make the final cut to 12 players.
The Springbok Sevens are regarded as one of South Africa’s strongest medal hopes, given their standing, their experience and their world-class players.
They have shown that they can beat any outfit on the sevens circuit on their day, and also have a Commonwealth title to show for their efforts.
The trick for Powell is to find the right balance in just a dozen players, which will no doubt leave some discarded players with broken hearts at the 11th hour.
Although the likes of stalwart Cecil Afrika, 2015 world sevens player of the year Werner Kok and try machine Seabelo Senatla are certainties for the flight to Rio, there is serious competition for the other places.
Even regular captain Kyle Brown is not guaranteed a place, so the training camp will play a pivotal role in deciding the final squad. Sevens preliminary squad: Tim Agaba, Chris Dry, Ryan Kankowski, Kwagga Smith, Kyle Brown, Philip Snyman, Dylan Sage, Cheslin Kolbe, Rosko Specman, Branco du Preez, Cecil Afrika, Justin Geduld, Francois Hougaard, Juan de Jongh, Werner Kok, Ruhan Nel, Seabelo Senatla, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Bryan Habana Final Olympic squad to be named by July 14.