SA Rugby has named a team of 12 to represent the country in the next two rounds of the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens Series to be held in New Zealand and the United States in February.
The players leave on Sunday January 30 for the Wellington leg (February 4 and 5) and then jet off to the US for the Los Angeles tournament (February 12 and 13).
Coach Paul Treu’s team features four new players in Derick Kuun, Schalk van der Merwe, Jano Vermaak and Shandre Frolick. Tobela Mdaka returns to the squad after last representing Springbok Sevens in 2000.
Veteran Fabian Juries is back in the fold, after an ankle injury kept him out of the Emirates Airline-sponsored Dubai and George tournaments. For Juries, the tour to New Zealand and the US will be of special importance, as it will give him the opportunity to score his 100th try — making history as the first South African to do so in the Sevens code. His 99th was in London in 2004.
Four players in the present team represented South Africa in the past two tournaments.
They are Wayne van Heerden, Jaco Pretorius, Eddie Fredericks and Mzwandile Stick.
”A major consideration for this team was to select young players around whom we will build our future squads,” said Treu. ”They will help us maintain consistency for the rest of the series and the future. Another feature is that many of the boys are quite physical and aggressive, combined with a number of sprinters.”
Treu has also employed the services of a specialist scrumhalf in Jano Vermaak, a 20-year-old player who could not make the world-beating South African Under-19 squad in 2003 due to injury.
Shandre Frolick, currently the fastest player in the team, has also been selected for the South African Under-19 team to play in the IRB Under-19 World Championship in Durban in April. — Sapa
The full squad: Derick Kuun (Blue Bulls), Fabian Juries (Eastern Province), Wayne van Heerden (Eastern Province), Jaco Pretorius (Falcons), Eddie Fredericks (Free State), Schalk van der Merwe (Golden Lions), Jano Vermaak (Golden Lions), Tobela Mdaka (Griffons), Gareth Krause (Griquas), Jose van Rensburg (Griquas), Mzwandile Stick (KwaZulu Natal) and Shandre Frolick (Western Province)