CAPE TOWN - Blitzboks star Seabelo Senatla attained legendary status after obliterating Fabian Juries’ long-standing try-scoring record of 179 tries by a South African during last weekend’s Wellington leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series.
And he has continued to shine this weekend in Sydney.
In the wake of his achievement at the age of 23, the question looms as to whether the speedster can set the 15-man game alight when he makes the move to the longer version of the game. He joins the Stormers ahead of their Super Rugby campaign.
“Yes, he can and yes, he will become a legend of the game,” says former Springbok and Blitzbokke star Gcobani Bobo.
Bobo has no doubt that Senatla’s Sevens form will be an asset for the Springboks in years to come and all he need do is to keep focusing on the basics of his game and he could soon have the rugby world at his speedy feet.
Senatla’s rugby CV is impressive.He became a Currie Cup champion with Western Province, a gold medal-winner at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2013, a bronze medal-winner with the Junior Springboks at the IRB Junior World Championships in France in 2013 and he also won gold at the World Games in the same year with the South African side.
Says Bobo: “Seabelo as a Sevens player stands heads and shoulders above the rest at the moment and his work ethic speaks for itself. Everybody speaks of him as the man who has scored over 180 tries, but no one remembers that the great Fabian Juries played from 1999 until 2008.
“Senatla in three years has got there and it is not as though those tries were pushovers, he has been able to score some amazing tries most of which saw him run the full length of the field. He will be a valuable asset and that confidence of playing against other international sides will serve him well when he goes to the next level,” Bobo said.
Bobo, capped for the Blitzboks and the Springboks himself, added: “I think he will. There is one thing Sevens does for you. It magnifies your weaknesses and glorifies your strengths. In Sevens rugby you defend 15 metres space, at the breakdown you have to work on yourself to save or steal the ball and we’ve seen his breakdown skills the way he has been meticulous and the attitude he has. He is also a humble guy, a trendsetter and he will mean a lot to the game in 15-man rugby.”
Does Senatla’s size - he stands 1.82m and weighs 76kg - count against him in 15s rugby? Like Bobo, former Springbok and Bulls wing Akona Ndungane does not think so.
He believes Senatla will be a phenomenon almost equal to the likes of Springbok wing and try-scoring machine Bryan Habana. Ndungane says Senatla has more than proven his worth.
He believes that all that needs to be done for Senatla to shine, is for coaches at Super Rugby and international level to give him an opportunity to showcase his skill and speed.
“I think his defence is very solid. Even though he doesn’t have the physique that people are talking about, he’s very solid and comfortable on defence and can hold his own at the breakdown; these are attributes you need to be complete player. So I think he does tick all the right boxes and all that is needed for him now is to get the opportunity to play a full season of Super Rugby,” said Ndungane.
On the matter of size, Ndungane cited All Black wing Nehe Milner-Skudder, who is one of the smallest wings in world rugby but was able to hold his own in the all-conquering New Zealand side.
“People are just looking for excuses. This boy is special. Look at a guy like Milner-Skudder; he is shorter than Seabelo but a very effective player. Milner-Skudder is an All Black in an era where that team has no equals and we are busy already talking about what will not work for Senatla.”
By the close of Saturday's opening day in Sydney where the Blitzboks had again advanced into the quarter-finals after conceding their second loss in three tournaments when they lost to England in their final pool match after beating Japan and Kenya earlier in the day, Senatla increased his season tally to 29 tries, topping the table with 163 clean breaks, 72 cleans at the ruck and ninth on the overall tackle count with 225 tackles made.
At the end of last year World Rugby bestowed on him the coveted Sevens Player of the Year Award after his sensational 66 tries last season and being part of the Blitzboks team that won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.
Now Senatla will have to use his speed, skill and charm to make a name for himself in the 15 men game and maybe, just maybe have a go at Habana’s record of 67 tries for the Springboks.