Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Blitzboks get Afrika boost
SEVENS legend Cecil Afrika will inject major experience into the Blitzboks squad for the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022, which takes place in Cape Town from September 9-11.
The flyhalf holds the all-time record for the most points scored in the green and gold in the World Series (1462 points). Afrika was recalled to the 14-man squad due to Dewald Human’s injury. Afrika, 34, last featured for South Africa in the Series in 2020.
In recent months, the dynamic Afrika has been playing for Monaco in the professional Extenso Super Sevens league in France.
Ten of the players who formed part of the gold-winning squad at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham have been included in the World Cup group. Only Human and Zain Davids (also injured) are absent.
Both picked up their injuries during the ultimate leg of the current Series in Los Angeles, where the defending champions lost their grip on the title, with Australia claiming their first Series crown. Davids, Ronald Brown, Christie Grobbelaar and Mfundo Ndhlovu make a timely return to the squad, having missed the Los Angeles tournament due to injuries sustained at the Commonwealth Games in July.
Coach Neil Powell was happy to welcome back Afrika, who missed the 2018 spectacle in San Francisco due to injury after making his RWC Sevens debut in Moscow in 2014.
“We had been in regular contact since Cecil left Springbok Sevens to first play professional rugby in the USA and now France, so I am up to date with his fitness and form,” Powell, who will end his stellar Sevens coaching career with the showpiece, said.
“The injuries to Justin Geduld earlier this year and now Dewald Human left us short of options at flyhalf and Cecil not only provides massive experience, but big match temperament as well. He will also take some of the workload away from Selvyn Davids, who is coming back from injury.”
Springbok Women's Sevens coach Paul Delport, meanwhile, has opted for co-captains. The women will open their campaign against France in the second-last game on Friday evening, and Delport said they aim to make the most of this opportunity.
“You only get to play a Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in your own country once and we hope to make the best of it.”
On naming co-captains, Delport said: “Home tournaments create a lot of extra pressure on our captains and we want to spread the workload in that regard and also wanted to make sure we have a captain on the field all the time. Mathrin (Simmers) and Sizo (Solontsi) are both experienced campaigners and leaders and will complement each other in that regard.”
Only Simamkele Namba has not played for the team before.
The 14-member groups will be trimmed to 12 next Wednesday.