Mzwandile Stick, one of South Africa’s top and most experienced Sevens players, has been called up by Springbok Sevens coach Paul Treu to replace teenage sensation Juan de Jongh for the San Diego leg of the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Sevens Series on Saturday and Sunday.
De Jongh has been told to be on standby for the Stormers.
The Springboks are seeded fourth for the San Diego tournament, the fourth in the 2007/08 series.
The selection of De Jongh, identified by Treu, for the Wellington and San Diego legs of the Sevens series came as a surprise to many, but his performance in the Wellington tournament was one of the highlights of a Springbok side that could do no better than win the Plate.
The Stormers call-up of De Jongh is a feather in Treu’s cap as a scout of rare talent, but is also another blow to a man who has over time learned to cope with the loss of his Sevens squad players just as things seemingly take a turn for the better.
Stick returns after injuring his shoulder in the George tournament in December. His goal-kicking prowess, added to his general playmaking skills, will stand the Boks in good stead in their quest to win their first tournament in the present series.
The Springboks, who will be preparing for the tournament by playing against the West Indies side and Wales this week, are favourites to win Pool D. They are grouped with England, the United States Eagles and Mexico, and are seeded to play the second side of Pool C in the quarterfinals, which should be Kenya.
Should the Springboks progress to the semifinal, they will probably meet the winner of the Samoa-Fiji clash from Pool B and New Zealand, who should dominate Pool A.
New Zealand have now won their past five tournaments and are close to making the IRB series a one-horse race. It is the first time that a side has won the first three tournaments in a series, as the All Blacks have in the 2007/08 series by winning in Dubai, George and Wellington.
”I can’t see any team stopping New Zealand now this season,” said Treu after the Wellington tournament.
”It’s going to be difficult for any team to catch up unless they [New Zealand] do pretty badly for the remaining five tournaments,” he added. ”Hong Kong is worth almost double points, but New Zealand’s experienced players lead by example, their composure is very impressive and their defence is the best in the world.” — Sapa