SA Rugby Sevens ‘A’ squad members Noegh Hayward and Gurshwin Wehr will join the Springbok Sevens team in Vancouver on Wednesday and will make their HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series debuts at BC Place on the weekend at HSBC Canada Sevens.
The Springbok Sevens squad remained amongst the top four contenders of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series at the halfway stage of the competition, but failed to fire on the second day of the HSBC LA Sevens at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday.
The Springbok Sevens will face Fiji in the Cup quarter-finals of the HSBC LA Sevens later on Sunday after an eventful first day of sevens at Dignity Health Stadium in Los Angeles.
Impi Visser believes the Springbok Sevens team are good enough to come out on top at the end of the 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and according to the Blitzbok forward, everyone in the squad are willing and able to give it their all at the HSBC LA Sevens, the sixth of 11 tournaments in the series, this weekend.
They have a track record of performing in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and there are quite a number of achievements in the Springbok Sevens’ set-up and history, including five tournament victories on American soil, but for Philip Snyman there will only be tears at this weekend’s HSBC LA Sevens if the effort from the South African side is lacking.
Springbok Sevens captain Siviwe Soyizwapi can’t be blamed for feeling like a tourist guide in Los Angeles this week.
Travis Ismaiel will complete a national team trifecta at the HSBC LA Sevens next weekend after being named in the Springbok Sevens squad that will contest the North American leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in the USA and Canada later this month.
Springbok centurion Eben Etzebeth has been voted SA Rugby’s Player of the Year for 2022 following a string of excellent performances by the experienced lock last year, while Canan Moodie won the Young Player of the Year award and Nadine Roos was named Springbok Women’s Player of the Year.
The Springbok Sevens team moved into the second position on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series log after their silver medal finish at the HSBC Sydney Sevens.
Springbok Sevens coach Sandile Ngcobo heaped praise on his players after the Blitzboks made it into the last four in Australia, where they will face Fiji in the semi-finals of the HSBC Sydney Sevens on Sunday.