Blitzboks skipper Siviwe Soyizwapi. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)
- Springbok Sevens captain Siviwe Soyizwapi will play his 50th World Rugby Sevens Series event in Toulouse, France next weekend.
- The Blitzboks are relishing the return to fitness of several stalwarts, the most notable being Justin Geduld.
- The South Africans are in seventh place on the World Series log.
The Blitzboks have named a 13-man squad for next weekend’s World Rugby Sevens Series event in Toulouse, France.
Skipper Siviwe Soyizwapi will make his 50th World Series appearance, while the squad features five players returning to action.
The Blitzboks will welcome the return of veteran playmaker Justin Geduld after more than a year on the sidelines, while James Murphy, Ronald Brown, Dewald Human and Shilton van Wyk are also back.
World Rugby Sevens Series standings
Geduld has recovered from hip and knee injuries and the team will relish having their most-capped player for the first time this season.
Geduld, who last played at the Spain Sevens in Seville in January 2022, has played in 52 tournaments and scored 1 060 points.
The return of Brown, Human and Geduld also means that head coach Sandile Ngcobo will have the luxury of five playmakers per match, an area of expertise that was lacking due to injuries at crucial times.
The Blitzboks will be happy to have Justin Geduld back in action. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
“Having all those playmakers around is going to be huge for us – not only because of their abilities, but the added value they bring,” said Ngcobo.
“All of them can kick with either left or right foot, so the shape of our restarts will change as well. The real assurance for me lies in their ability to bring experience and game management to the squad. It is great to have them back.”
Springbok Sevens squad:
Ryan Oosthuizen – 41 tournaments, 197 matches (185 points, 37 tries)
Impi Visser – 30 tournaments, 157 matches (140 points, 28 tries)
James Murphy – 15 tournaments, 69 matches (55 points, 11 tries)
Ronald Brown – 11 tournaments, 53 matches (310 points, 30 tries, 80 conversions)
Dewald Human – 20 tournaments, 87 matches (226 points, 18 tries, 68 conversions)
Siviwe Soyizwapi (captain) – 49 tournaments, 255 matches (745 points, 149 tries)
Mfundo Ndhlovu – 15 tournaments, 71 matches (90 points, 18 tries)
Christie Grobbelaar – 16 tournaments, 82 matches. (125 points, 25 tries)
Shaun Williams – 11 tournaments, 54 matches (125 points, 19 tries, 15 conversions)
Shilton van Wyk – 11 tournaments, 62 matches (120 points, 24 tries)
Justin Geduld – 52 tournaments, 270 matches (1060 points, 115 tries, 241 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
Travis Ismaiel – 3 tournaments, 14 matches (5 points, 1 try)
Ricardo Duarttee – 8 tournaments, 42 matches, (187 points, 14 tries, 57 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
At the recent Singapore Sevens, the South Africans suffered an embarrassing 12-5 defeat to Spain to be dumped out of the tournament without any log points.
But the coach remains upbeat.
“We have worked hard over the last couple of weeks,” Ngcobo said. “Since our return from Singapore, we had some discussions on how we want to approach the last two tournaments and there is a clear vision on how to get the results we are looking for. It is comforting to know all of these guys have done the job before and know how to get over the finish line first.”
Ngcobo added that he was pleased for Soyziwapi to reach his milestone.
“I was his roommate on his first trip and look where he is now,” he said.
“He epitomises hard work and dedication and has grown into an awesome player and leader. When you have ‘Shakes’ (Soyizwapi) on the field, there is a feeling of comfort for me as a coach.”
The Blitzboks (106) are in seventh place on the World Series log and need to overtake Australia (112) and Samoa (111) to finish in the top four and secure automatic Olympic Games qualification.
They will face Fiji, France and USA in a tough Pool C in Toulouse, with their opening match against the hosts on Friday, 12 May (14:35 SA time).
South Africa will also play Fiji at 21:03 (SA time) the same day, with their final pool game in Stade Ernst-Wallon on Saturday, 13 May (13:49 SA time).
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