CAPE TOWN - Seabelo Senatla, former SA Sevens star, is remaining focused on short-term goals with the Stormers, ahead of his sides’s Super Rugby clash with the Sunwolves at the Singapore National Stadium on Saturday.
In an interview with Singapore’s Today Online, the record try-scorer for the Blitzboks said that he is aiming to cement a starting place, before aiming any higher: “I am not putting so much pressure on myself.
“This year, the aim is to do well with the Stormers and get a starting berth, and from there, we turn to move on to the Bok(s).
“I was in the Bok group once upon a time but I didn’t get the chance to play, so I believe this is my time to play now, get that jersey at the Boks and try to fulfil my dream.”
Senatla, 24, was able to exhibit his strengths at a Tuesday training session, afterwards commenting on his new training routine: “We don’t do much when we are on tour, so maybe now like a gym session in the morning, and one training session.
“You have your team meetings in between, and you have your own quiet time, you check out the games and do your own review and analysis.
“We don’t do much, we try to actually minimise everything, so that you are 100% and fresh for the weekend.
Senatla is blessed with speed, which will be an advantage if any game opens up, weather-permitting. On a cold, rainy, wind-swept night at Newlands or in Dunedin, however, he may need other attributes to rise to the challenge.
Senatla has an honest perspective on his weaknesses and where to improve: “I am still making a few mistakes in certain areas of the game – one that I am struggling a lot on is positioning, especially when they kick.
“When they play on attack… I tend to be up a lot because I favour being up. In the sevens, we close a little bit and you try to take away the space, it’s like a habit.
“Now, I have to adjust my game and try to chill out.”
Senatla has a keen sense of the similarities between 15-a-side and sevens, hoping to use his acutely developed spacial awareness, in the longer form of the game: “It’s not so different, to be quite honest…it’s the same rules, so we just have to figure out where the space is and try to manipulate the space – that’s the whole aim of the game.
“I feel like sevens gave me the skillset to actually have that frame of mind to actually define and visualise space very quickly.”
Senatla was asked about his former teammates’ quest to be World Sevens Series champions this season.
He said: “They are doing very well, it literally feels unreal. It’s not easy getting to the final, the guys have got into every single final since the series started, I am not even talking about winning or losing, because that’s another thing.
“Making the final in every single tournament is an achievement, they are doing pretty well, I am so proud of it.
“We’ve been working really hard, had been struggling for two to three years when I was there. We started building and laying the foundations, and now the fruit is coming.
“I am very hopeful they are going to take the series this year, I believe it’s the boys’ turn to shine.”