CAPE TOWN – You can’t be blamed for expecting Dewald Human to produce another boss performance this weekend after what he did in the Paris leg of the World Sevens Series last season.
It’s also been quite some time since he last touched grass on the circuit so he’ll be high on motivation.
On Monday, Cecil Afrika and Mfundo Ndhlovu were called up to join the Blitzboks as injury replacements for Kurt-Lee Arendse and Stedman Gans when the 10th and final tournament takes place at the Stade Jean-Bouin on Saturday and Sunday. And yesterday, the team were forced to call up a third replacement, Human, in place of Selvyn Davids, who has withdrawn for personal reasons.
In the final event of the World Series last year, Human not only celebrated a series victory with the Blitzboks but was also named Player of the Final, unsurprisingly so.
This season, he played in Dubai, Cape Town, Hamilton and Sydney, so it’s safe to say that he’ll be quite amped to replicate his Paris masterclass of 2018.
“It is funny that so many good things happened to me on this field,” Human said. “Hopefully I can contribute again and help keep up the standards we created over the last couple of seasons.”
Straight from the airport to the training ground but who minds when you get a welcome like this. Dewald Human joined the team in Paris this afternoon after being called up late Monday afternoon @CastleFreeSA @FNBSA @ASICSRugby @ASICS_ZA pic.twitter.com/VL72fYbNji
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) May 28, 2019
With the series title now a dog fight between Fiji and the USA, and qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics confirmed, Human hopes for opportunities to express himself.
“I am expecting coach Neil (Powell) to tell us to go out and enjoy ourselves. We have done the hard work. I have not played with the squad in a tournament in a while, so will need to fit in quickly, but I am keen to bring the vibe into the team,” said Human.
“We did not have our best tournament in London (last weekend), but everybody will be keen to turn things around and make the country proud again.”
The Blitzboks have been drawn in Pool B alongside Australia, Wales and Kenya after finishing joint seventh in London.