Springbok Sevens shift into gear for momentous season
· Several players released for Absa Currie Cup duty
· Pre-season plans include two international tournaments
The Springbok Sevens squad will play in two pre-season tournaments as they prepare for a historic campaign which includes a bigger, revamped HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
The South Africans will contest the 2015 SAFLand Sevens taking place on 25 and 26 September in Windhoek, Namibia, before travelling to Singapore a month later to participate in the 68th edition of the hugely popular Singapore Cricket Club Sevens event.
The squad have assembled at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS) to start their pre-season training programme following their end-of-season break.
The 2015/16 HSBC Sevens World Rugby Sevens Series kicks off on 4 and 5 December in Dubai and Series champion will be crowned after the conclusion of Round 10 at Twickenham (20 to 22 May).
Neil Powell, the Springbok Sevens coach, emphasised the significance of the forthcoming season. He said: “The new season will be the most important Sevens season yet. The prospects of an Olympic gold medal in Rio and success in the revamped World Series are two massive incentives for all the teams. We have been working very hard to finalise our preparation plans in order to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves,” added Powell.
Players released for Absa Currie Cup duty
Furthermore, SARU also confirmed that several Springbok Sevens squad members were released to play in the upcoming Absa Currie Cup competition, which kicks off on 7 August.
Seabelo Senatla (wing) will turn out for the defending champions, DHL Western Province, while Kwagga Smith (flank) has returned to the Xerox Golden Lions.
Ruhan Nel and Sandile Ngcobo (centres) will be in action for the ORC Griquas, who recently secured their spot in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division after winning the Qualifier competition.
Two of Ngcobo’s SA Sevens Academy team mates, Lungelo Gosa and Sibahle Maxwane, have joined the Under-21 teams of the Golden Lions and Western Province respectively.
Key dates for the Springbok Sevens in the 2015/16 season:
Sunday 9 August 2015
One year countdown to the 2016 Rio Olympic games
Thursday 24 – Saturday 26 September 2015
SAFLand Sevens tournament in Windhoek, Namibia
31 October – 01 November 2015
Singapore Cricket Club Sevens tournament
Friday 4 December – Saturday 5 December 2015
Start of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tuesday 9 August – Thursday 11 August 2016
Rugby Sevens programme at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Related Posts
« EP KINGS PRESS RELEASE Venue change for U18 International Series »
