South Africa national rugby sevens team

South Africa
Nickname(s) Blitzboks, Blitzbokke
Emblem Springbok
Union South African Rugby Union
Head coach Neil Powell
Captain Philip Snyman
Top scorer Cecil Afrika (1,430)
Top try scorer Seabelo Senatla (224)
First colours
Second colours
Rugby World Cup Sevens
Appearances 6 (First in 1993)
Best result Runner-up (1997)

The South African national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the Summer Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games.

History

After readmission to international sport, the team played their first sevens series in the 1993 Hong Kong Sevens and also participated in the 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens. They also played in the Hong Kong Sevens for the next two seasons. In 1996, they also took part in the Punta Del Este Sevens in Uruguay and the Dubai Sevens.

They participated in the 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens the following year and in 1998, they played three South American tournaments – the Mar Del Plata Sevens in Argentina, the Punta Del Este Sevens and the Viña del Mar Sevens in Chile.

1999 saw them participate in the Mar Del Plata Sevens, the Santiago Sevens in Chile, the Fiji Sevens, the Hong Kong Sevens, the Japan Sevens and the Paris Sevens.

At the end of 1999, the first World Rugby Sevens Series (then the IRB Sevens World Series) started and the team have been participating in that series ever since.

In addition to the Sevens Series, they also played in the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the Commonwealth Games, the World Games and, from 2016 onwards, the Olympic Games.

The team's nickname, "Blitzboks", is derived from "blitzrugby" (literally "lightning rugby"), the Afrikaans language term for sevens.

Honours

Tournament history

Summer Olympics

Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W L D
Brazil 2016 Semifinalists 3rd 6 4 2 0
Total0 Titles1/16420

Rugby World Cup Sevens

World Cup Sevens record
Year Round Position Played Won Lost Drew
Scotland 1993 Quarterfinalists 5th 8 6 2 0
Hong Kong 1997 Finalists 2nd 7 6 1 0
Argentina 2001 Quarterfinalists 5th 6 5 1 0
Hong Kong 2005 Quarterfinalists 5th 6 4 2 0
United Arab Emirates 2009 Quarterfinalists 5th 4 3 1 0
Russia 2013 Quarterfinalists 5th 4 3 1 0
United States 2018 Semifinalists 3rd 4 3 1 0
Total0 Titles7/7393090

Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games record
Year Round Position Pld W L D
Malaysia 1998 Quarterfinalists 5th 5 4 1 0
England 2002 Semifinalists 3rd 6 5 1 0
Australia 2006 Plate Finalists 6th 6 3 3 0
India 2010 Semifinalists 3rd 6 5 1 0
Scotland 2014 Champions 1st 6 6 0 0
Australia 2018 Semifinalists 4th 5 3 2 0
Total1 Title342680

World Games

Games Gold Silver Bronze
2001 Akita[1]  Fiji  Australia  New Zealand
2005 Duisburg  Fiji  South Africa  Argentina
2009 Kaohsiung[2]  Fiji  Portugal  South Africa
2013 Cali[3]  South Africa  Argentina  Canada

Sevens World Series

Series wins

South Africa won the following editions on the Sevens World Series since its inception in 1999–2000:

World Series wins
Season Points Runner-up Tournament wins
2008–09132Fiji (102)3
2016–17192England (164)5
2017–18182Fiji (180)2

Tournament wins

South Africa won the following tournaments on the Sevens World Series since its inception in 1999–2000:

Cup wins
Season Tournament Final opponent Score
2001–022002 Wellington SevensSamoa17–14
2002–032003 Cardiff SevensArgentina35–17
2003–042003 Dubai SevensNew Zealand33–26
2004 Singapore SevensArgentina24–19
2004–052005 London SevensEngland21–12
2005–062006 Paris SevensSamoa33–12
2006–072006 Dubai SevensNew Zealand31–12
2007–082008 Adelaide SevensNew Zealand15–7
2008–092008 Dubai SevensEngland19–12
2008 South Africa SevensNew Zealand12–7
2009 Adelaide SevensKenya26–7
2010–112011 USA SevensFiji24–14
2011 London SevensFiji24–14
2011 Edinburgh SevensAustralia36–35
2012–132013 USA SevensNew Zealand40–21
2013 Japan SevensNew Zealand24–19
2013 Scotland SevensNew Zealand28–21
2013–142013 South Africa SevensNew Zealand17–14
2014 USA SevensNew Zealand14–7
2014–152014 Dubai SevensAustralia33–7
2014 South Africa SevensNew Zealand26–17
2015–162015 South Africa SevensArgentina29–14
2016–172016 Dubai SevensFiji26–14
2017 Wellington SevensFiji26–5
2017 Sydney SevensEngland29–14
2017 USA SevensFiji19–12
2017 Paris SevensScotland15–5
2017–182017 Dubai SevensNew Zealand24–12
2018 Paris SevensEngland24–14

Players

Current squad

The following players were named in squads that competed at events on the 2017–18 World Rugby Sevens Series:[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

2017–2018 South Africa World Rugby Sevens squad
Player Position Date of birth (age) Debut Tournaments Matches Points Ref
Cecil AfrikaBack3 March 19882009 Dubai Sevens613181,430[12]
Tim AgabaForward23 July 19892016 Sydney Sevens147565[13]
Heino BezuidenhoutForward13 March 19972018 Hong Kong Sevens42115[14]
Kyle BrownForward6 February 19872008 Dubai Sevens65327420[15]
Selvyn DavidsBack26 March 19942017 Hong Kong Sevens52497[16]
Zain DavidsForward4 May 19972017 Wellington Sevens136045[17]
Chris DryForward13 February 19882010 Adelaide Sevens64319460[18]
Muller du PlessisBack25 June 19992018 USA Sevens42055[19]
Branco du PreezBack8 May 19902010 Wellington Sevens613051,162[20]
Stedman GansBack19 March 19972017 USA Sevens114460[21]
Justin GeduldBack1 October 19932013 Wellington Sevens36186833[22]
Dewald HumanBack19 May 19952017 Paris Sevens41866[23]
Werner KokBack17 January 19932013 London Sevens37184420[24]
Marco LabuschagnéForward30 January 19982017 London Sevens385[25]
Mosolwa MafumaForward13 February 19962018 Hong Kong Sevens155[26]
James MurphyForward30 November 19952018 Hong Kong Sevens2110[27]
Mfundo NdhlovuBack5 April 19972018 Hong Kong Sevens21010[28]
Ruhan NelBack17 May 19912014 Gold Coast Sevens28147247[29]
Sandile NgcoboBack1 August 19892016 Wellington Sevens72020[30]
Sikhumbuzo NotsheForward28 May 19932017 Sydney Sevens285[31]
Ryan OosthuizenForward22 May 19952017 Hong Kong Sevens104555[32]
Dylan SageForward24 January 19922015 South Africa Sevens24134155[33]
Seabelo SenatlaBack10 February 19932013 Wellington Sevens392031,120[34]
Kwagga SmithForward11 June 19932013 South Africa Sevens31158310[35]
Rhyno SmithBack11 February 19932018 Hong Kong Sevens254[36]
Philip Snyman (c)Forward26 March 19872008 Dubai Sevens54248346[37]
Shakes SoyizwapiBack7 December 19922016 Hong Kong Sevens1889280[38]
Rosko SpecmanBack28 April 19892014 Wellington Sevens26138343[39]
Updated after the 2017–18 World Rugby Sevens Series.

"Tournaments" refer to the number of tournaments on the World Rugby Sevens Series that players featured in.
(c) denotes the team captain.

Rugby World Cup squad

On 11 July 2018, SARU announced a thirteen-man squad for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens:[40]

2018 South Africa Commonwealth Games squad
Player Position Date of birth (age)
Heino BezuidenhoutForward13 March 1997
Selvyn DavidsBack26 March 1994
Zain DavidsForward4 May 1997
Justin GeduldBack1 October 1993
Dewald HumanBack19 May 1995
Werner KokBack17 January 1993
Ruhan NelBack17 May 1991
Ryan OosthuizenForward22 May 1995
Dylan SageForward24 January 1992
Philip Snyman (c)Forward26 March 1987
Shakes SoyizwapiBack7 December 1992
Rosko SpecmanBack28 April 1989

Commonwealth Games squad

On 26 February 2018, SASCOC announced a thirteen-man squad for the 2018 Commonwealth Games:[41] Seabelo Senatla and Kwagga Smith were initially included, but subsequently withdrew from the squad.[42][43]

2018 South Africa Commonwealth Games squad
Player Position Date of birth (age)
Cecil AfrikaBack3 March 1988
Tim AgabaForward23 July 1989
Kyle BrownForward6 February 1987
Selvyn DavidsBack26 March 1994
Zain DavidsForward4 May 1997
Branco du PreezBack8 May 1990
Justin GeduldBack1 October 1993
Werner KokBack17 January 1993
Ruhan NelBack17 May 1991
Dylan SageForward24 January 1992
Philip Snyman (c)Forward26 March 1987
Rosko SpecmanBack28 April 1989
Shakes SoyizwapiBack7 December 1992

Previous squads

The previous South African Sevens squads are as follows:

References

  1. ↑ "Rugby: Rugby 7s". The World Games. Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "World Games Day 2: Fiji cruise to Gold Medal". Ultimate Rugby Sevens. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "2013 World Games rugby results". Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Most experienced Blitzbok squad ever named for Dubai" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Powell names unchanged side for Cape Town Sevens" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Sage, Gans back for Blitzboks' trip to Australasia" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "Brown happy to lead Blitzboks in Hamilton" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "Snyman back to lead Blitzboks in North America" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Powell looking for perfect balance in Canada Sevens" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  10. ↑ "Human to lead Blitzboks to Hong Kong Sevens" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  11. ↑ "Let's play some sevens, Blitzboks style - Powell" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Cecil Afrika". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  13. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Tim Agaba". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Heino Bezuidenhout". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  15. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Kyle Brown". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  16. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Selvyn Davids". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  17. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Zain Davids". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  18. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Chris Dry". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  19. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Muller du Plessis". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  20. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Branco Du Preez". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  21. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Stedman Gans". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  22. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Justin Geduld". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  23. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Dewald Human". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  24. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Werner Kok". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  25. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Marco Labuschagné". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  26. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Dash Mafuma". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  27. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : James Murphy". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  28. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Mfundo Ndhlovu". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  29. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Ruhan Nel". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  30. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Sandile Ngcobo". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  31. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Sikhumbuzo Notshe". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  32. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Ryan Oosthuizen". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  33. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Dylan Sage". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  34. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Seabelo Senatla". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  35. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Kwagga Smith". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  36. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Rhyno Smith". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  37. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Philip Snyman". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  38. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Siviwe Soyizwapi". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  39. ↑ "HSBC Sevens World Series : Rosko Specman". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  40. ↑ "Experienced Blitzbok side selected for RWC Sevens" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  41. ↑ "Final names added to Team SA for Commonwealth Games" (Press release). SASCOC. 26 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  42. ↑ "Springbok Sevens prepare for dual task" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  43. ↑ "Rugby Sevens | Sport & Nation Entries by Event South Africa - Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games". Commonwealth Games. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
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