SA rugby reaping benefits from Sevens

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - SEPTEMBER 13: Cornal Hendricks of the Springboks makes a break on his way to scoring a try during The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the South Africa Springboks at Westpac Stadium on September 13, 2014 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - SEPTEMBER 13: Cornal Hendricks of the Springboks makes a break on his way to scoring a try during The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the South Africa Springboks at Westpac Stadium on September 13, 2014 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Published Sep 19, 2014

Share

One of the big success stories of Springbok rugby in 2014 is Cornal Hendricks’ emergence as a Test winger. The 26-year-old has made the Bok No14 jersey his own, and that less than a year after switching from Sevens to the XV-man game.

He’s not the only player to have developed his skills set in Sevens; Warren Whiteley, too, has become a Bok this year, thanks largely to his pace, vision and skills, all honed while playing Sevens rugby.

There are others: Gio Aplon, Jean de Villiers, Breyton Paulse, Jaco Pretorius, Gcobani Bobo, who all played Sevens and then became XV-man Boks.

Now there’s a new breed of youngsters making their mark in XVs who’ve all first shone in Sevens; the likes of Cheslin Kolbe, Seabelo Senatla, Justin Geduld, Mark Richards and Kwagga Smith.

These men are among a growing list of players who’ve starred in the Sevens game, but are now also lighting up the fields in the Currie Cup. Ryno Benjamin, Sampie Mastriet and S’bura Sithole are also among the players considered to have the X-factor; Sevens stars who’ve brought their skills and game-changing potential to their respective XV-man teams.

Western Province, one of the most dangerous attacking teams in the competition, owe much of their success this year to the exploits of Senatla (who’s now injured) and Kolbe, while Geduld is sure to still play a major part this year.

The Currie Cup’s other big attacking team, the Lions, have also benefited with Smith getting more game-time of late. And, it’s just a matter of time before Richards gets a start in the Lions jumper. Smith says coaches are finally warming to the idea of picking specialist Sevens players.

“I suppose coaches have been a little hesitant to select us because, let’s be honest, many of us aren’t the biggest guys around,” he says. “But with the game becoming faster all the time, they realise we can add value and we’re finally getting a look-in.”

Smith says the benefits of using Sevens specialists in XV-man rugby are massive. “Firstly, we can play in any position in the team.

“I like to think Sevens players see space quicker than the guys who’ve only played XV-man rugby. And we attack that space, instead of trying to run over the opposition.

“The fact the game is played at such a high speed and tempo also means we’re fitter, running-wise, and that always helps.

Defensively, in Sevens you’re often one-on-one with an opponent and you know if you miss him, it’s going to cost you a try. You’ve got to make sure of that tackle ... in XV-man rugby there’s usually a line of defenders, so you’re marking a two-metre space, as opposed to eight metres in Sevens.”

National team coach Neil Powell said the performances of Smith, Senatla, Kolbe and the like in the Currie Cup is proof of the value Sevens adds to rugby.

“We can see what these guys have done ... they’re all quick off the mark, they hold the ball up, they can win it back, they’re strong in the tackles and they attack space.”

Powell added Sevens rugby plays a crucial role in helping youngsters develop, setting them up for XV-man rugby. “Just look at Cornal ... I’m so happy for him. His success is largely due to the things he learnt in Sevens, but also the hard work he had to put in.

“Because of the limited space and only seven players in a team the skills the players learn are unbelievable.

“The youngsters also get to experience the pressures of rugby at a very high level, they learn about travel and big crowds ... all things that make their transition to XV-man rugby easier.”

Smith says he’d like to see more schools playing Sevens rugby.

“Sevens teaches one all the basic skills, you’re literally tested in every area of the game. If you can succeed in Sevens, you can perform at any level.”

Powell wants takes it further saying all Under-19 and Under-21 players should play Sevens for the first half of the season.

“Let the youngsters play Sevens during the time Super Rugby is on, and then let them play in the provincial age-group competitions ... you’ll see a marked improvement in skills and quality of rugby.” - The Star

Related Topics: