Senatla looking to contribute

SEABELO SENATLA is known for his blistering pace.

The Stormers and Blitzbokke flyer boasts a personal best time of 10.40 seconds for the 100 metres and once upon a time ran at the SA junior track and field championships. In a sense, he is faster than your girlfriend’s opinion of your ex.

So, it’s a tad scary when Senatla says that American flyers Carlin Isles and Perry Baker are faster than him.

Of course, Senatla is a modest kid, and a rugby player who doesn’t like to talk about himself in a pretentious manner. He can probably match those two Americans for gas in a quick 100m dash, but that alone means that Isles and Baker are more than just a handful on the rugby pitch anyway. The American duo seem to be on the radar of every defender in the Sevens game after leaving opposition players for dead in Dubai last weekend.

And, suddenly, because of the likes of Isles and Baker making an impact, the US have emerged as a big threat on the Sevens World Series circuit, and will definitely be one of the favourites to win gold at next year’s Olympic Games in Rio.

“They are quite phenomenal, they are very, very fast,” Senatla said yesterday at the team’s signing session at the V&A Waterfront.

“Those type of players, if you let them take the outside gap, they are going to punish you because they were athletes before.

They are quicker than me, sadly!”

The US beat the Blitzboks in their cup quarter-final meeting last weekend, and also beat New Zealand twice in that tournament.

This weekend, in the Cape Town leg, the Blitzboks could meet the US in another cup quarter-final. And one would think that revenge would be on the cards, especially for Senetla, whose yellow card in that quarter-final cost South Africa the match.

“Revenge is not the way we like to think about it. But I think (we owe them a little bit). But as a team we would like to focus on us more than any other people,” Senatla said.

“In the team we have a 24-hour policy. After getting the yellow card I was down, and being suspended as well and not getting on to the field and making it right killed me a little bit.

“But in 24 hours you are expected to put it behind you and that is what I really did.

“The boys and the coach really helped me with that, and they comforted me, told me that these things happen.

“I think I’m good right now, and I’m, looking forward to the weekend to make new memories and to be better player.”