Blitzboks learn from Springbok duo

Habana and Ryan Kankowski have been training with the squad for the past few weeks ahead of the next two legs of the World Sevens series. With a wealth of Test match experience, the two will bring something different to the side.

Regular skipper Kyle Brown also makes his return to the side this weekend following an injury layoff. He is a talisman for the team and will be looking to get back up to speed with the circuit.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been three months since Dubai and Cape Town,” Brown said in Las Vegas this week.

“For all the concerns that we had about the season being long, it seems to be flying by. A couple of weeks ago the guys were in Wellington and Sydney and I thought they played unbelievable rugby. It’s just a privilege to be a part of this team and hopefully we can maintain that momentum.”

As the Rio Olympics draw near, Blitzbokke coach Neil Powell will be looking to finalise his squad for the global showpiece. However the Sevens management have rotated a few players for Las Vegas and Canada as they look to give their full squad game time.

“The thinking hasn’t change the whole season. The main aim is to generate depth for the pre-Olympics squad. That’s what we are going to keep chasing the entire season. We’re lucky enough to have Ryan Kankowski and Bryan Habana join us for this trip. They’ve been working incredibly hard in the last couple of weeks to make sure their up to speed with what is happening on the Sevens circuit,” Brown said.

The presence of two highly respected Springboks in the Sevens setup will no doubt boost confidence levels in the squad. It also means that competition for a spot in the Olympic squad is fierce – which is a good thing in the mind of the Blitzbokke captain.

“We’re always keen to keep the internal competition high and to get a consummate professional like Bryan Habana in, who’s been around for many years and is one of South Africa’s best, drives everyone to be at their best. It’s also nice to teach him a thing or two on a different kind of field.”

While the two Springboks will have added another gear to the intensity of training on the field, they have also brought a different mentality off it according to Brown.

“In all honesty, the biggest impact they’ve made is off the field. Ryan is actually a really chilled guy and Bryan is a real professional on and off the field. He’s probably the leader in terms of recovery, I’m not sure that says too much about his age, but he is the first one rolling and icing his body. It’s good to have people that are at the forefront of SA rugby in our squad,” the skipper said.

The Springbok Sevens face Canada first up in Las Vegas – kickoff is at 02h35. They then take on Wales at 05h58 before meeting the USA at 00h30 on Sunday morning.

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