James Murphy has linked up with the Springbok Sevens squad in the USA as they prepare for the HSBC SVNS Los Angeles, to be played at Dignity Health Sports Park from Friday to Sunday.
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.
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 improvement shown by the Springbok Women's Sevens team in Perth will give the coaching staff and players a confidence boost for the next two HSBC SVNS tournaments, in Vancouver (23-25 February) and Los Angeles (1-3 March).
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.
The Springbok Women’s Sevens team prepared well and accordingly, but the realities of being the least experienced team at the HSBC SVNS Perth tournament and having to play the host union on their national holiday, will make for a tough opening day for the South Africans.
Having retired from a game she loved so much after a bad injury and then making a very solid return to the team she loves even more almost a decade later will drive the effort from Shona-Leah Weston this weekend when the Springbok Women's Sevens take on Australia, Canada, and Great Brittain in the HSBC SVNS Perth.
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.
In 2019, Maria Tshiremba watched her first rugby match live, the Varsity Cup Sevens fittingly won by the University of Johannesburg, as this was where the speedster from Magau village in Limpopo was starting to make a name for herself in athletics.