Cape Town - He may have missed out on the final Springbok Sevens squad for the Olympics, but Bryan Habana holds no hard feelings for coach Neil Powell and the 12 who have made it to Brazil.
Habana, along with fellow 15-man Springboks Francois Hougaard and Ryan Kankowski, was not included in the Blitzbok group that was named on Thursday in Johannesburg by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).
Stormers captain Juan de Jongh was the only Bok who did it enough to earn the nod from Powell, while Hougaard is one of two reserves - with Chris Dry - who will travel with the team to Rio, which will be led by Kyle Brown.
The 33-year-old Habana was always going to be a long shot to make the cut as he played in just two World Sevens Series tournaments last season, where he hardly had game time and barely touched the ball.
It was thought that his pulling power and experience of 64 tries in 117 Tests may just sway Powell’s mind, but in the end, the coach went with those sevens specialists who have been part of the squad over the last few years.
“My appreciation and gratitude for getting the opportunity to have been a part of the @blitzboks #RoadToRio far outweighs the disappointment of not making the final squad,” Habana said on Instagram on Thursday.
“I find myself incredibly fortunate to have become a part of a very special brotherhood, to have pushed myself further than what I had imagined in making the transition over to 7s, being helped each and every step of the way by all the members of the squad and getting to experience just how much love these boys have for each other!
“Their hard work, dedication, commitment and never-say-die attitude is immensely infectious and will stand them in good stead as they head over to Rio to challenge for that gold medal.
“To Neil, his coaching staff and each member of the squad, thanks for allowing me the opportunity to have been so warmly welcomed back into the 7s family. To those players selected, keep on pushing each other as the final training weeks approach and go out there and express your talents to the best of your abilities! I’ll be your biggest supporter and cheering you on loudly from Toulon!!!”
Habana was up against a number of quality backs and ultimately lost out to speedsters such as Seabelo Senatla, Cheslin Kolbe and Rosko Specman. Another stalwart to miss out was Branco du Preez, who was badly affected by injury over the last season, as well as Ruhan Nel and Siviwe Soyizwapi.
Hard-working former Southern Kings No 8 Tim Agaba was rewarded for an excellent season in his first year of sevens rugby, with his intense physicality complemented by a dynamic attacking skill-set for such a big man.
World Sevens Player of the Year in 2015 Werner Kok did enough late in the season to prove he is 100 percent fit.
But the biggest surprise was former Western Province junior midfielder Dylan Sage, who surpassed the experienced Dry and Kankowski in the final squad. “It was really tough finalising the 12-man squad presented to Sascoc,” Powell said in a statement on Thursday.
“I could have picked three different teams and all would have been very competitive, but unfortunately, only 12 can go. We have named Francois Hougaard and Chris Dry as back-up players that will travel to Rio as well, but they will be staying outside the official village.
“I want to thank all 23 players that contributed this year and the final 19 who really worked hard towards a common goal. That said, we are not done yet and will have to work hard in the remaining 20 days or so to fine-tune our play.
“We are all excited about this as it does not come bigger than the Olympics, but also realise that there will be expectations for us to perform. We can only give our best and hope we can justify the great support we are getting from the public.”
The Blitzboks have been drawn in Pool B alongside Australia, France and Spain, with the Olympic tournament taking place from August 9-11.
Blitzbok Olympic Squad
Kyle Brown (captain), Tim Agaba, Philip Snyman, Werner Kok, Dylan Sage, Kwagga Smith, Rosko Specman, Cheslin Kolbe, Cecil Afrika, Justin Geduld, Juan de Jongh, Seabelo Senatla.
Travelling Reserves: Chris Dry, Francois Hougaard