The Springbok Sevens’ ninth place finish in Canada, at the fourth HSBC SVNS tournament of the season, was described as frustrating by the teams head coach Sandile Ngcobo, with the lack of consistency at the top the agenda this week as they prepare for their next assignment in Los Angeles.
Zain Davids has travelled to Canada six times and returned with three gold medals, but that has not stopped the Blitzbok forward’s winning appetite, who arrived in Vancouver for a seventh HSBC SVNS Canada tournament.
The first time Rosko Specman played at the HSBC SVNS Canada in Vancouver, his teammates included Bryan Habana and Ryan Kankowski, and the Springbok Sevens lost to New Zealand in the final.
It took them just over 30 hours to get from Cape Town to Vancouver, but for the Springbok Sevens it is all part of the job and uncomfortable travel will not deter their ambition to deliver a winning performance in Canada this weekend.
Springbok Sevens head coach Sandile Ngcobo made five changes to his travelling squad for the next two HSBC SVNS tournaments, in Vancouver next weekend and Los Angeles a week later.
The Springbok Sevens finished their HSBC SVNS Perth campaign on a high note by outplaying France 24-5 to finish the tournament in fifth place.
Travelling the world and exploring new destinations with smiles on faces are elements one can attribute to the Springbok Sevens team over many seasons of HSBC SVNS, but as they settled into Perth for yet another new stop in the world series, the real purpose for their trip to West Australia was quickly confirmed by Blitzbok captain Selvyn Davids.
The Blitzboks are well known for playing with smiles on their faces, so don't be surprised to see even more of that in Perth this weekend, when two uncapped players and three returnees to the squad will all bring energy to the squad determined to bounce back from a disappointing outing in Cape Town last month.
Abrasive but elusive, in your face but slippery, a hard man with a soft touch – David Brits is not an easy opponent, boasting a skill set that saw him help the Toyota Cheetahs win the coveted Currie Cup.
Springbok Sevens head coach Sandile Ngcobo has made several changes to the Blitzbok squad that will travel to Australia on Saturday for the inaugural HSBC SVNS tournament in Perth, the third of eight in the series, where Selvyn Davids will again lead the team into battle.