Blitzboks a band of brothers

SPRINGBOK Sevens playmaker Rosko Specman says the Blitzboks want to make the last leg of the 2016/17 World Sevens Series a “special” one.

The Blitzboks, who last week claimed the series title in Paris as well as the tournament title, will face Kenya, Wales, and the USA in Pool A of the tournament in London today.

Specman, who proved to be a real talisman for the World Series champions in 2017, appreciates the fact this will be the last opportunity for this current squad to play together.

“We have been training since September and have been in each other’s company since then, so we have established a wonderful bond,” said Specman.

“We really are a band of brothers. This tournament will be the last for this group to play together and we want to make it special.”

South Africa clinched the series when they won their fifth tournament in Paris last weekend and will officially be crowned champions tomorrow.

“The pressure to win the series is gone, but we are still under pressure from ourselves to deliver a performance to be proud out,” said Specman.

“I think though, we will also be out to celebrate our successes by expressing ourselves and playing with joy.”

Last year, the Blitzboks came to Twickenham still within the grasp of the overall series title, but Fiji gained enough points to retain the series trophy. South Africa made the final, but suffered a heart-breaking loss when Scotland scored the winning points after the final buzzer.

“That was very disappointing yes, we felt terrible. But that was also the start of us making finals, and we learned from the experience. So although we lost that one, we learned lessons that helped us winning five finals out of eight since,” Specman said.