Growing up, Seabelo Senatla was actually a Bulls fan.
No, let’s qualify that – he was a Bryan Habana fan, and Habana was playing for the Bulls at the time.
“Honestly, growing up, I didn’t like to watch too much rugby. I would only watch one person – (Bryan) Habana,” Senatla said yesterday ahead of Saturday’s Currie Cup final against the Golden Lions at Newlands.
“He was awesome. So when he was at the Bulls, I was pretty much a Bulls supporter. And when he came to Province, I became a Province supporter!
“But now I understand what it is to be at Province and what Province stand for. And people normally judge me because I come from the Free State (Welkom). When I go back home, people are like ‘Aaah, why, why!’ But they don’t understand how it is to be here and how special these okes are.
“The guys have embraced me, and welcomed me. I’m glad I made the decision to come and play here rather than anywhere else.”
And spending time with his hero ahead of the Wallaby Test in Cape Town was yet another highlight for Senatla.
“Ja, he was giving me a hard time! I’ve been taking a lot from Bryan, even when he was at the Sevens prior to the Commonwealth Games. I’ve been trying to suck up as much as I can from him. Bryan has done so much for the country and this union, so he is a great mentor for me. And the right guy I should be following,” he said. “I think he’s done great things, and I aspire to that too.”
The calm way in which Senatla speaks belies his tender age of 21. He’s enjoyed a remarkable year, achieving great success with the Springbok Sevens side, making his Super Rugby debut for the Stormers, starring for WP in the Currie Cup, and recently being invited to experience the inner workings of the Springbok squad ahead of a Test match.
But it is the high-pressure nature of Sevens rugby that has seen Senatla develop a steely resolve when the heat is on. And it doesn’t get much hotter than a Currie Cup final, so even though it is his first such game, Senatla isn’t fazed about Saturday’s showpiece.
“Actually, it was my goal when I came to Province – winning the Currie Cup final with the side,” he said. “I’m glad I’ve been provided with a mechanism of coping with pressure at Sevens, being in finals and being in certain situations like that. Saturday is going to contain a whole lot of pressure, so I’m hoping the experience of the Sevens will come through.”
The best of his three tournament tries has to be the solo effort against the Bulls at Loftus, where he ran 60 metres for a thrilling touchdown. But he refuses to take credit for it.
“Ag, I put it in the top three because of Groomy (Nic Groom) – he’s the one who made it really, I just straightened the line.”
Senatla is an exhilarating sight when at full throttle, and will be one of Province’s main attacking weapons on Saturday.
Having missed the last encounter against the Lions through injury, he will be keen to make a big contribution this weekend.
Backline coach Robbie Fleck is hoping to see another Senatla try in the final like the one at Loftus, and the former Bok centre feels his young protégé has what it takes to become a Test player.
“Potentially, big time. Physically, the guy’s a machine. I don’t know what these guys do at the Sevens, but every single product coming out of there is conditioned, their rugby knowledge is fantastic, their basics unbelievable,” Fleck said.
Meanwhile, Jaco Taute is likely to reclaim the No12 jersey ahead of Mikey van der Spuy when coach Allister Coetzee names the WP team today. - The Star