The Blitzbokke are going for Commonwealth Games gold next month and sending a bunch of laaities to the Hong Kong Sevens.
It’s a strategy that has been a global trend, with the likes of Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the top competitors taking their superstars with them to the Gold Coast.
The Hong Kong leg has always been the crown jewel on the circuit, but this year the Commonwealth Games seems to be taking preference with the tournaments just a week out from one another in April.
And with the World Cup Sevens in San Francisco in four months’ time, the focus is on winning silverware in 2018.
South Africa is going for alles.
COMMITMENT: Werner Kok. Photo: RYAN WILKISKY/BACKPAGEPIX
With the likes of Rosko Specman, Werner Kok, Justin Geduld and Ruhan Nel all fit and available, the cards have fallen in place for Neil Powell, who will be taking the “A” team to Australia.
Meanwhile, Academy boss Marius Schoeman is taking the laaities that have been filling in for the injured and 15 converts recently to Hong Kong.
With the Blitzbokke still top of the standings going into the seventh of the 10 legs of the series, SA still have the edge.
And building the depth of the first team is not a bad way to use the Asian tournament when everyone else is doing the same thing.
The Sevens academy hasn’t been doing a bad job over the years and the confidence that they are showing in the kids is justified with trophies as a legacy to strive for as the goal.