Treu for once in his life seems to have a real nice pool of talent. Lets hope for an even bigger winning margin against the wee abs! That guy Senatla is brilliantly quick. Some real pace in the squad and Adendorf and Kan Kan bring some grunt. Exciting days.
It may not be a squad of superstars, but Springbok Sevens coach Paul Treu can announce a squad of virtual allsorts to mould into a World Cup-winning team on Monday.
Springbok 15s coach Heyneke Meyer may have let the cat out of the bag on the big name in the squad – Sharks No 8 Ryan Kankowski – but Treu has assembled a few wild cards in his squad at Stellenbosch to start the slog towards Moscow at the end of June.
Cheetahs winger Rayno Benjamin, Blue Bulls speedster Sampie Mastriet, IRB Junior Player of the Year nominee Shaun Adendorff and forgotten Blitzbok star Stefan Basson – who has just returned from club rugby in Italy – will all form part of an extended squad that will test their mettle at the Rome Sevens before the final World Cup squad for Moscow is announced.
Also up for selection is Sibusiso Sithole, who was the hero in the Edinburgh win two years ago but was plucked back by the Sharks and then received almost no game time at the union.
But just because Treu has named them in the extended squad, does not mean they are a shoo-in for World Cup selection and being the coach he is, Treu has set some high standards for the 15s players to adapt to if they are to make the grade.
With injuries ruling out Frankie Horne and Paul Delport from World Cup selection, and former captain Kyle Brown in a race against time, Treu also has to contend with injuries to Stevie Hunt, Branco du Preez, Cecil Afrika and Stephan Dippenaar which has hampered preparations thus far.
On top of this he has given up two players to the SA under-20s – Seabelo Senatla and Justin Geduld – both of whom are expected to fly straight from France to Moscow to join the team when they finish their IRB Junior World Cup duties.
Still, the immediate goal is a good performance at the Rome Sevens and Treu will be looking for key indicators from the players to show they can make the transition to Sevens, which has evolved to a much more tactical game over the past few years.
Also, with the Blitzbokke winning three tournaments and finishing second in the IRB World Sevens Series, the strong finish to the season by the incumbent players in the squad has made it very difficult for Treu to bring in outside players, creating a unique atmosphere of competition for places in the squad.
Treu will also make it clear that not only playing ability, but the teamwork factor will influence the final selection.
But for once, the coach has an overflowing bounty of talent to choose from, and competition will only spur players on. Kankowski may be the big name announced in the squad, but the balance and make-up of the squad will determine the Blitzbokke’s success at this year’s Rugby World Cup in Moscow
Springbok Sevens World Cup training squad is:
Shaun Adendorff, Cecil Afrika, Stefan Basson, JW Bell, Ryno Benjamin, Kyle Brown, Stephan Dippenaar, Chris Dry, Branco du Preez, Justin Geduld, Hansie Graaff, Cornal Hendricks, Steven Hunt, Ryan Kankowski, Werner Kok, Cheslin Kolbe, Sampie Mastriet, Mark Richards, Seabelo Senatla, Sibusiso Sithole, Philip Snyman
