Justin in Sevens heaven
Geduld milestone as he plays in 35th tournament for the Blitzboks
WE KNOW him as the one of the most exciting Springbok Sevens playmakers, yet Justin Geduld says he “never expected” that he’d “still be in the team” and play in his 35th World Rugby Sevens Series tournament.
Geduld will reach the special milestone at the London leg of the 2017/18 series this weekend. And it’s a “humbling experience” he is looking forward to.
“I never expected to join such a distinguished group of players who also achieved this. It is a humbling experience,” said Geduld, who has scored 787 points in 124 matches for the Blitzboks.
“In the beginning, my dream was just to make the team, so to still be here is massive for me. I will certainly enjoy this experience. I just want to express myself and contribute to the team effort.”
Geduld last played in Hamilton (the fourth of the 10 tournaments), where he suffered a broken jaw that ruled him out of the Las Vegas, Vancouver, Hong Kong and Singapore tournaments.
While he missed those events, he made his comeback at the Commonwealth Games in April, and now he’s keen to help the Blitzboks work towards defending their series title by claiming the top podium spot in London.
And while Geduld said they won’t be putting too much pressure on themselves, he is confident they’ll be able to get the job done if they just play their game: “We are not putting any pressure on ourselves and will go out there and play as we know we can. If we do that, the results will come.”
Coach Neil Powell said the hard work in the build-up to this weekend’s tournament was done back in Stellenbosch and he applauded that energy and effort this week in London.
“We had a bigger group of players in Stellenbosch and the guys really pushed each other for spot in the squad. We did some good work there. I am pleased with our effort here as well.
“The likes of Justin, Branco (du Preez), Ruhan (Nel) and Philip (Snyman) are keen to play again and that bodes well. They need to go out and enjoy themselves.”
Fiji currently top the log while the Blitzboks are in second place, four points behind them.
And although this weekend and the penultimate leg in Paris will be crucial in terms of racking up points to move to the top of the log, Powell said that they’re not too focused on the standings.
“We are not looking at that, but will focus on our game. We are aware of the log positions, but the only way to change that is to go out and play our best.” Ryan Oosthuizen, Philip Snyman, Dylan Sage, Zain Davids, Werner Kok, Heino Bezuidenhout, Branco du Preez, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Justin Geduld, Cecil Afrika, Seabelo Senatla, Ruhan Nel, Stedman Gans (replacement player)
(SA times): 10.52am v Russia; 1.58pm: Canada; 5.04 pm: Samoa ■ Junior Springbok wing Tyrone Green says they’ll have to improve their performance drastically if they want to progress to the semi-finals of the World Rugby Under-20 Championships.
The Junior Springboks secured a 33-27 victory against Georgia in their opening game in Perpignan, France, on Wednesday, but they had to overcome their own error-filled first half and a strong performance from Georgia to secure their tournament-opening win.
Althought they looked better in the second half, it’s going to take an all-out effort to overcome their next two opponents.
Green produced a big performance against the Georgians and also scored a try and set one up with his powerful running.
And while he believes they have the ability to overcome Ireland tomorrow (kick-off 4.30pm SA time), he knows they’ll have to make a big step-up.
“We didn’t start the tournament the way we wanted to,” said Green.
“We have two big games coming up (against Ireland and France in the pool stages), and we need to improve our performance drastically if we want to get through those games.
“We have all the ammunition to get the job done, but we need to produce a much better performance as a team.”
The Junior Boks currently top Pool C after their bonuspoint win, while France’s bonus-point edging of Ireland on Wednesday landed them in second spot (the Junior Boks lead due to a greater points difference).
Ireland will certainly be desperate to come back from their 26-24 defeat to France, so Chean Roux’s team cannot afford another struggling start tomorrow.
Despite the pressure, Green said he has taken a lot from his Junior Springbok journey: “It has been exciting to be part of this squad.
The World Rugby Under-20 Championship is a new experience for me and it is something I could not have imagined.”
“I have always dreamed of being here and I have always pushed myself to get to this point. But it is now reality.”
Green admitted that it took hard work over several years to reach this point, and said: “My work ethic is something I’ve prided myself on because I feel the harder one works the more you can achieve.”
Roux will name his team to face Ireland today.