Johannesburg – The Springbok Sevens team arrived safely in the Land of the Long White Cloud on Sunday and speedsters Siviwe Soyizwapi and Rosko Specman said they are keen for the HSBC Wellington Sevens to start in the New Zealand capital on Saturday morning.
The tournament, the third in the 2016/2017 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, will be held at the Westpac Stadium Saturday and Sunday. Springbok Sevens winger Soyizwapi will play at this venue for the first time since making his Blitzbok debut last season and said he is pretty excited to contribute to the team.
Soyizwapi travelled with the Springbok Sevens as the reserve player to the opening two legs of the series in Dubai and Cape Town, but as he has not yet played, he is keen to get onto the field.
“I am very excited as it is my first time at the tournament and I am keen for it to start," Soyizwapi said soon after the team arrived in New Zealand on Sunday, after a short stop-over in Sydney.
The Blitzboks left South Africa on Saturday afternoon.
“I have learned a lot travelling with the guys, but ultimately, you need to play to put that in practice. So this time I am looking forward to doing my part on the field and contribute there,” he said. Fellow back, Specman, said although it was a long trip, it was made easy by the camaraderie and team spirit.
“The guys like each other's company and don't mind spending time together. That makes the trip much shorter,” said Specman. Specman, who was named in the Wellington Dream Team last year, believes the close bond in the team will help individual performances as well. “We all believe if the team plays well, the individual will also shine, so it has to be a team effort first,” he said.
“We had a short, but relaxing break, but we are keen to get going again. We prepared well for this and the guys are getting sharper and sharper as the tournament approaches.” The Springbok Sevens team, who lost to New Zealand in last year's final at the Westpac Stadium, will face Japan (1.09am SA time), Australia (4.33am SA time) and Fiji (8.18am SA time) in Pool B on Saturday.