Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman and speedster Gino Cupido.
Image: Supplied
Backline players Dewald Human and Gino Cupido have been included in the Springbok Sevens squad that will travel to Spain and France on Sunday to compete in the final two HSBC SVNS World Championship tournaments in Valladolid and Bordeaux.
The duo missed out on the first of the three World Championship events — won by the rampant Blitzboks in Hong Kong last month — due to injury, but they have recovered completely and will have a highly specific role to play on tour, Bok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman confirmed on Thursday.
“It is great to be able to select from a big squad for our final two tournaments, as we only have Christie Grobbelaar (calf), Nabo Sokoyi (shoulder), and Zander Reynders (shoulder) out of selection contention,” said Snyman.
“I had some tough decisions to make, but opted for Dewald as an extra fly-half option given the grueling nature of back-to-back tournaments, while Gino replaces Donavan Don at centre, where we are looking for a bit more height in the midfield and a slight change in tactical approach in that position.
“I have to compliment and mention our medical team, who again did an excellent job to have so many players fit, ready, and in contention for selection.”
Human and Shilton van Wyk look heavily set to reach the prestigious benchmark of 35 tournaments when the Blitzboks arrive in Bordeaux for the second tournament of the European trip.
“That is a major benchmark in our team, so it will be a special moment for both — something that will be shared by all, as well as those who did not make the travelling squad,” Snyman noted. “The guys that stay behind at home deserve a lot of credit for their hard work during the camps as well.”
The Blitzboks will face off against Great Britain, Kenya, and Australia in a highly competitive Pool A at the Estadio José Zorrilla next week.
“We do not prepare with specific teams in mind; it is much more about what we want to go out and achieve on the field of play,” Snyman explained. “We learned some valuable lessons in Hong Kong and adjusted accordingly in our training sessions since then, and I think we are in a very good space. The depth of this big squad resulted in highly competitive training sessions, so we leave here well prepared.
“We know there is an massive target on our back in every single match we play, so we need to be ready. We saw in Hong Kong how easily you can trip up if you are not ready from the very first whistle, so we made the necessary changes in our psychological approach to prevent another slow start.”