Senatla, Pollard named in squad for first Springbok training camp

Feb 27 • General News, Sevens Rugby • 2422 Views • Comments Off on Senatla, Pollard named in squad for first Springbok training camp

Seabelo Senatla, the current World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, as well as fit-again Springboks such as Handré Pollard, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe and Jaco Kriel, were all included in an extended Springbok training squad for the first of three camps, in Johannesburg.

The camp takes place from Sunday 5 to Tuesday 7 March and is the first of three preparations camps the Springboks will undertake as part of their plans before the start of the international season in June when South Africa host France in a three-match Castle Lager Incoming Series.

Also included in the squad are five promising players who are earmarked for possible future Springbok involvement. They are Ox Nche (prop, Toyota Cheetahs), Joseph Dweba (hooker, Toyota Cheetahs), Hanro Liebenberg (No 8, Vodacom Bulls), Warrick Gelant (fullback, Vodacom Bulls) and Wilco Louw (prop, DHL Stormers).

All five youngsters are Junior Springboks, having represented the South Africa at various editions of the World Rugby Under-20 Championship. Four of them, Nche, Liebenberg, Gelant and Louw, featured for their franchises in the opening round of Vodacom Super Rugby the past weekend.

Players from the Cell C Sharks or Southern Kings were not considered for the Johannesburg camp, because of Vodacom Super Rugby duty in Australia and Singapore, while Emirates Lions players will leave the camp after Mondays’ activities as they are travelling with their franchise team to Argentina the following day.

Long-term injured players such as Juan de Jongh (centre), Roelof Smit (flank) and Howard Mnisi (centre) were not considered for this camp.

Springbok coach Allister Coetzee said he is very happy to start working with the extended Bok squad so early in the year.

“We did a lot of background planning and this camp will give us the opportunity to take the objectives we agreed on at the various indabas, to the training field,” said Coetzee.

“This group was selected before the start of Vodacom Super Rugby so that we could adhere to World Rugby regulations by giving notice of the camp 14 days in advance.”

SA Rugby CEO, Jurie Roux, said: “I want to thank our franchisees for their cooperation and releasing their players during Vodacom Super Rugby for the three Springbok camps.

“Unfortunately, we did not have any of these camps in 2016 and we know it is very important for the players and the coaches to spend as much time together as possible before the start of the season.”

Invited players for the first Springbok camp in Johannesburg (5-7 March), in alphabetical order:

No	Name and surname	Position	Franchise
1	Nizaam Carr	Number 8	DHL Stormers
2	Uzair Cassiem	Flank	Toyota Cheetahs
3	Damian de Allende	Centre	DHL Stormers
4	Lood de Jager	Lock	Vodacom Bulls
5	Faf de Klerk	Scrumhalf	Emirates Lions
6	Ruan Dreyer	Prop	Emirates Lions
7	Jean-Luc du Plessis	Flyhalf	DHL Stormers
8	Pieter-Steph du Toit	Lock	DHL Stormers
9	Joseph Dweba*	Hooker	Toyota Cheetahs
10	Eben Etzebeth	Lock	DHL Stormers
11	Warrick Gelant*	Fullback	Vodacom Bulls
12	Lizo Gqoboka	Prop	Vodacom Bulls
13	Hanro Liebenberg*	Number 8	Vodacom Bulls
14	Travis Ismaiel	Wing	Vodacom Bulls
15	Rohan Janse van Rensburg	Centre	Emirates Lions
16	Elton Jantjies	Flyhalf	Emirates Lions
17	Siya Kolisi	Flank	DHL Stormers
18	Jaco Kriel	Flank	Emirates Lions
19	Jesse Kriel	Fullback	Vodacom Bulls
20	Wilco Louw*	Prop	DHL Stormers
21	Frans Malherbe	Prop	DHL Stormers
22	Lionel Mapoe	Centre	Emirates Lions
23	Malcolm Marx	Hooker	Emirates Lions
24	Bongi Mbonambi	Hooker	DHL Stormers
25	Teboho Mohoje	Flank	Toyota Cheetahs
26	Franco Mostert	Lock	Emirates Lions
27	Ox Nche*	Prop	Toyota Cheetahs
28	Sikhumbuzo Notshe	Number 8	DHL Stormers
29	Trevor Nyakane	Prop	Vodacom Bulls
30	Rudy Page	Scrumhalf	Vodacom Bulls
31	Sergeal Petersen	Wing	Toyota Cheetahs
32	Handré Pollard	Flyhalf	Vodacom Bulls
33	Raymond Rhule	Wing	Toyota Cheetahs
34	Seabelo Senatla	Wing	DHL Stormers
35	Jan Serfontein	Centre	Vodacom Bulls
36	RG Snyman	Lock	Vodacom Bulls
37	Jamba Ulengo	Wing	Vodacom Bulls
38	Armand van der Merwe	Hooker	Emirates Lions
39	Piet van Zyl	Scrumhalf	Vodacom Bulls
40	Francois Venter	Centre	Toyota Cheetahs
41	Warren Whiteley	Number 8	Emirates Lions