Sevens Boks leaving Rio with a feeling of unfinished business

RIO DE JANEIRO: Thursday would have been earmarked as a big day for Seabelo Senatla, and surely by the rest of the Bok Sevens squad.

It was set to be their big day at the Rio Olympic Games, the day when they played the medal matches.

Play the team did, but Senatla, a potent finisher for the side, was not there.

Truth be told, he didn’t even see the semi-final loss to Great Britain because he was trying to make his way back to the Deodoro Stadium after scans had confirmed a break in his wrist.

“I couldn’t even get in, so I missed the match. I saw the guys just after,” he said.

He cut a desperate figure, arm in a sling, wearing a tracksuit when his team needed him in full kit.

There was late drama with the medals. Senatla was taken off the list of recipients because he hadn’t played in the final.

Unprompted, his replacement, Francois Hougaard, gave his medal to Senatla, insisting that the flyer deserved it more.

“It just shows the type of guy that Hougie is,” Senatla smiled.

But, he wants nothing more now than to return in 2020, as far away as it is, to earn his place on the podium.

“That is the thing with injuries in sport. They come at the worst time, but you can’t do anything about it.

“Hopefully, when the time comes (2020) I will be okay and I can go again.”

Like many, Senatla is completely convinced that Sevens has found a home in the Olympics.

“This was big for us. Rugby’s return to the Olympics has been amazing. We’ve enjoyed ourselves so much. Being part of this history has been really special.

“Even though we came third we have enjoyed ourselves so much here. So it’s bronze for us this time, but next time we want to make it one better.

“I really would love to be a part of that. Taking that I didn’t play in the semis or the final, I would love to do this again, and be part of the final list.”

Tokyo 2020 is a lifetime away, but the path is already clear in some minds.

There is a sense of unfinished business for Neil Powell and his men, and the emotion within their final team huddle will serve as inspiration for those who carry the flame for the next few years.

They will remember the hurt they felt when they let themselves down in the semifinal against Britain, and equally they will remember the pride of being medallists at their maiden Olympics.

Senatla said the time to reflect that he would have while he healed would no doubt help to clear his mind.

But, in the still of the Deodoro Stadium, it already seemed as though he had made up his mind.

Redemption is a compelling sub-plot of the Olympic tale. Michael Phelps, as decorated as he already was, could not let the itch of the 200m butterfly rest from London.

He had to come back, to this very stage, and set the record straight. He dusted himself off, retired and then unretired, because something wasn’t quite right, rich though his legacy already was.

To look at Phelps now is to see a man who is completely satisfied with his lot, thanks to that correction in one race.

The Bok Sevens will feel the same, and the closer Tokyo appears on the horizon, the fiercer that ambition will burn.

Senatla and those who will still be standing will remember what they felt like on August 11, 2016. Unfulfilled, bittersweet. Not done yet.