Cape Town — The injury-ravaged Blitzboks added four players to the squad preparing for the Hong Kong and Singapore Sevens tournaments at the end of March and beginning of April, but none of the reinforcements come with any international experience.
An attempt to get more established players, like former Blitzbok players Rosko Specman (Griquas) and JC Pretorius (Lions) from their unions did not materialise.
This leaves the Springbok Sevens side in a pickle concerning experience for the next leg of the World Sevens Series in the Far East.
With a host of regulars on the injured list, Sandile Ngcobo, Blitzboks coach, wanted to stabalise his team with a couple of former players. But the team is set to depend on youngsters in the next two tournaments in their attempt to reach the top four of the series for automatic Paris Olympic qualification.
The team is currently without more than a dozen injured players, so Donovan Don (Griffons), Sebastiaan Jobb (who previously trained with the Blitzboks), Morne Joubert (Pumas) and Mpho Kubheka (University of Johannesburg) have all been called up to join the training squad in Stellenbosch.
Some of the injured Blitzboks are due to return to training next week and depending on their progress, some might even be considered for the travelling squad to Hong Kong.
Ngcobo said in a statement that the foursome’s call-up is thanks to the good collaboration between SA Rugby and the provinces.
“We are grateful for the collective effort between SA Rugby and the players’ provinces,” said Ngcobo.
“With our local competitions up and running, we know that managing player resources is a very difficult juggling act, and I, therefore, want to thank their teams for releasing the players to our camp.
“We don’t have a lot of time on our hands to prepare for the next two tournaments, and experience has shown us it takes a while for newcomers to find their feet.
“However, I do feel they have a fantastic opportunity here not only to showcase their ability and skills but also to demonstrate how quickly they can slot into such a demanding environment.”
The Blitzboks have been drawn in a tough pool with Ireland, New Zealand and Kenya for the Hong Kong Sevens, which runs from 31 March to 2 April.
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