The Blitzboks have been drawn in what has been dubbed the Pool of Death in this weekend’s Cape Town Sevens at Cape Town Stadium.
Up against Series defending champions Fiji and the dangerous USA, South Africa will also face Japan in Pool A.
But the national team’s all-time leading try-scorer Seabelo Senatla wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Coming up against current World Sevens Player of the Year Jerry Tuwai from Fiji and flying USA star Carlin Isles, Senatla says he simply loves it.
THE BEST: Fiji magician Jerry Tuwai. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix.
He tells the Daily Voice: “Love it, absolutely love it.
“It’s always nice to play against tough teams, because obviously to be the best you have to play against the best and beat the best.
“You want to challenge yourself the whole time and there is no better way to do that than to play Fiji and USA in the group stage.
“It’s amazing also for the game - fans that are watching want to see strength versus strength.”
THREAT: US speedster Carlin Isles. Picture: Paul Miller/EPA.
Prepping for the weekend at the team hotel in Cape Town, Senatla strikes a relaxed figure and after joking that the big guns can cancel each other out early on because of the draw, he talks about returning to the Sevens setup.
Having joined from the Stormers squad for the first two tournaments of the Sevens Series, Senatla says: “I started off here and I came back in bits and pieces.
“It’s easy to slot in, the system and the values are the same.
“It’s amazing to have that type of consistency.”
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— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s)
Of lifting the trophy in Cape Town after winning in Dubai, he adds: “It’s important for us to understand that nothing we did in Dubai is going to help us be successful in this tournament.”