Sydney Sevens win perfect ending – Senatla
Springbok Sevens all-time try-scoring record holder, Seabelo Senatla, said the back-to-back tournament wins for the Springbok Sevens team was the perfect way for himself and forward Kwagga Smith to end their current involvement with the team.
Senatla and Smith will now join up with the DHL Stormers and Emirates Lions respectively for the upcoming Vodacom Super Rugby competition.
“I am not gone forever, so would say it was a great way to press pause in my sevens career,” said the winger, who has scored 189 career tries since becoming a Blitzbok in 2013.
Senatla, the current World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, was named Player of the Final in both the HSBC Wellington Sevens and HSBC Sydney Sevens and scored 17 tries in these two tournaments.
“I am at a good place at the moment and very fortunate. Moving to fifteens is a nice challenge though and something I am looking forward to,” Senatla said.
Smith said the team played to their strengths in beating USA, Australia and England on Sunday to win the title.
“Here is a great winning culture and we are a band of brothers. We went out there today and played the way we wanted to play. It is sad to go, but it will always be sad to leave this team and there will never be a right time.”
Senatla and Smith were named to the Tournament Dream Team in Wellington and Sydney, with a teammate, Justin Geduld, joining them in Sydney.
Springbok Sevens captain, Philip Snyman, was also full of praise for the two departing players. “We know they will do well in Super Rugby, they will be back one day and then they will just slot back into the band of brothers. We wish them well.”
Snyman was pretty pleased with the two wins.
“We have played great rugby over two weekends and we achieved everything we wanted to. We cannot ask for more. In the final, we played like we planned. Our defensive system was great and that paved the way. We have something pretty special going, but only hard work will keep us there.”
Stats Checker:
Leading points’ scorers for South Africa 2016/17
- Seabelo Senatla 160
- Justin Geduld 99
- Branco du Preez 89
- Werner Kok 65
All time Points Scorers
- Cecil Afrika 1167
- Branco du Preez 963
- Seabelo Senatla 945
- Fabian Juries 925
- Mzwandile Stick 855
Leading Try Scorers’ for South Africa 2016/17
- Seabelo Senatla 32
- Werner Kok 13
- Justin Geduld 11
- Chris Dry 9
All time Try Scorers
- Seabelo Senatla 189
- Fabian Juries 179
- Cecil Afrika 142
- Marius Schoeman 104
Leading Conversions for South Africa 2016/17
- Branco du Preez 37
- Justin Geduld 22
- Cecil Afrika 7
All-time Conversions for South Africa
- Branco du Preez 298
- Cecil Afrika 228
- Mzwandile Stick 210
- Stefan Basson 195
- Justin Geduld 146
Top tackler Sydney
- Philip Snyman 18
- Kwagga Smith 17
Top tackler Season
- Chris Dry 79
- Philip Snyman 63
- Werner Kok 60
Issued by SA Rugby Communications
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