The Springbok Sevens squad will start their 2025 HSBC SVNS campaign without three of their bronze medal-winning Olympic Games squad, while Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman also looks to build squad depth in the next four-year cycle.
Blitzbok captain Selvyn Davids and utility forward Tiaan Pretorius, will miss at least the first two tournaments – in Dubai and Cape Town – of the new world series confirmed by World Rugby on Monday, with Singapore and Los Angeles added to the roster.
Rosko Specman has stepped away from the sevens programme, while Justin Geduld has moved into the DHL Stormers set-up.
Katlego Letebele – who had a dual contract with the Vodacom Bulls – has opted out of his sevens clause and will also not return to Stellenbosch, and Snyman also confirmed that Siviwe Soyizwapi will start the season as a forward.
Snyman said he is looking at co-captains to facilitate Soyizwapi’s move, along with Davids’ injury.
“We have a number of strong and experienced leaders in the squad and I believe this will serve us best for now, while Selvyn is away and Siviwe comes to grips with his new position,” said Snyman. “I have a couple of players in mind for those roles, but will confirm them later.”
Snyman said he will lean into the newly formed structures of SA Rugby’s High-Performance Department announced earlier this month. That will include dipping into the talent pool of the SA Rugby Academy and utilising coaches, staff and players from other programmes based at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport.
One such an example is 2024 Junior Springbok wing Joel Leotlela, who has been named in Snyman’s training group for the Dubai tournament that will open the new season. South Africa will face pool opponents France, Australia and Kenya in defence of their title at The Sevens Stadium.
Leotlela is one of two uncapped players in the group, the other being Rowan Malgas, who has impressed since joining the training squad from the University of Johannesburg, where he shone brightly in the FNB Varsity Cup.
Apart from Davids and Pretorius, Masande Mtshali and Sebastiaan Jobb were also not considered due to injuries sustained in training.
“Obviously it is never nice to lose players to injury, but I am happy with the 17 players we have for Dubai, they are training well and the squad is coming along nicely,” Snyman said.
Blitzboks’ Dubai training squad: Christie Grobbelaar, David Brits, Ryan Oosthuizen, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Zain Davids, Impi Visser, Ronald Brown, Ricardo Duarttee, Shaun Williams, Tristan Leyds, Dewald Human, Rowan Malgas, Shilton van Wyk, Donovan Don, Mfundo Ndhlovu, Quewin Nortje, Joel Leotlela.