The South African Sevens teams performed with distinction during the past weekend in Middelburg and Nairobi, Kenya.
Paul Treu’s Springbok Sevens team won the Nashua Middelburg Sevens after beating Sevens Rugby World Cup Winners Wales in a tense Cup final by 21-14.
SA Sevens captain, Kyle Brown, and livewire scrumhalf Branco du Preez did managed some game time after their recent rehabilitation, but they were used sparingly. Good news for the team is that playmaker and former IRB Sevens Player of the Year Cecil Afrika played in the majority of games and looked his usual self.
Newcomer Reuben Johannes (hooker, DHL Western Province) had his first outing with the squad.
The Blitzbokke used the tournament as the most important part of their pre-season preparation for the forthcoming HSBC Sevens World Series season.
South Africa will play with other 15 international Sevens teams in the season-opening Gold Coast Sevens in Australia next month, before travelling to the desert city of Dubai for the second tournament of the season. After that they will travel home to play in the second Nelson Mandela Bay SA Sevens in Port Elizabeth on 8 – 9 December.
“Rugby’s Biggest Party” in Port Elizabeth was moved from a Friday/Saturday format to a weekend schedule to fall in line with most of the major Sevens Series events such as Hong Kong, the Gold Coast and the London Sevens.
The launch of the Nelson Mandela Bay SA Sevens is scheduled for 11 October and event organisers have promised a jam-packed entertainment programme to compliment the top-class international Sevens action.
Safaricom Sevens
The South Africa's Elite Players Development (EPD) are the 2012 Safaricom Sevens champions after edging hosts Kenya Moran 21-17 in the Main Cup final on Sunday in Nairobi.
The young South Africans, with SA Under-20 Junior World Cup winning star Shaun Adendorf one of the outstanding performers, had eliminated the other local side Shujaa in the semi-finals.
It was a good weekend outing for South African teams at this popular event in Kenya. DHL Western Province won the Bowl Final 26-10 of a strong Chairman Select outfit. Last year's winners Samurai lifted the Plate after a 40-14 victory over French side Grenoble.