Senatla and Smith sign off
• Blitzbok heroes to return to Super Rugby as they eye spot in Bok team
Seabelo Senatla and Kwagga Smith are worlds apart as rugby players‚ yet are vital members of a Blitzbok team that is on the threshold of something huge.
Senatla is lithe‚ jet-fast and trickier than a conman, while Smith is rugged‚ hard and as direct as a taxman.
Despite their differences, both have been vital in the Blitzboks’ growth over the past three seasons.
The fourth round of the HSBC World Sevens Series‚ taking place in Sydney this weekend, marks the end of their contribution to the Blitzboks’ 2016/17 campaign — and, perhaps‚ their last altogether.
The men 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, the pair have only dabbled in the longer version of the game — Smith more so than Senatla.
Some might see it as: “They’ve had their fun and now the serious business starts.”
But they do not. The Blitzboks have not been a diversion on the way to something bigger — the team has been essential in moulding the duo into exciting and brilliant players.
Both players are 23 years old and have a combined 290 caps for the Blitzboks and a combined 232 tries.
Senatla is going out as SA’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 winning gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics.
Senatla is the current world sevens player of the year and a man who‚ barring injury‚ should comfortably become a Springbok in 2017.
His natural gifts will translate easily into 15s because, regardless of the level of rugby‚ there is no substitute for raw pace. Added to this is a defensive game‚ good spatial awareness and an insatiable work ethic.
There is a feeling Senatla is making the full-time switch a little late in his career.
All Black wing Julian Savea made his Test debut at 21 in 2012‚ has so far earned 52 senior caps‚ scored 45 Test tries and won a World Cup. He is only 26 years old.
But playing sevens and going to the Olympics was a decision Senatla made — he wanted to go to Rio. When he looks back on his career‚ these will not be decisions he will easily regret as opportunities like that rarely come up.
Smith‚ who plays flank in the 15s format‚ might not have a straightforward road into the Springboks‚ let alone the Lions starting team.
At 1.82m and 93kg‚ Smith is not cut from a traditional Bok flank blueprint. But neither was Heinrich Brüssow.
Smith makes up for his relative lack of bulk and height with superb skills‚ a good turn of pace as well as impressive defensive numbers.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann will probably employ him at openside‚ but given his ballcarrying skills‚ Ackerman could give Smith the job of 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 is next week’s issue. For SA‚ there is only focus on Sydney and widening the 12-point gap they hold over Fiji at the top of the standings.
“They [Senatla and Smith] are great players and great guys and will be missed‚” captain Philip Snyman said.
“At least we have one more tournament to play with them‚ so we will try and make it special for all of us.” /