Sydney – Blitzbok speedster Seabelo Senatla will be one of the players to watch when the HSBC Sydney Sevens starts on Saturday.
Just 23-years-old and already the highest ever try-scorer for the Blitzboks with 180 points, Senatla was both the DHL Impact Player and HSBC Player of the Final in Wellington.
This will be his final tournament on the 2016-17 series and he will look to go out on a high. Following a thrilling Wellington Sevens, there are six other players, apart from Senatla, that caught our eye going into the next leg of the world series in Sydney.
Adam Zaruba – Canada In the dream team for Wellington, Zaruba was a constant threat in the forwards for Canada. A huge player physically, but also one of the fastest in the setup according to captain Harry Jones.
Head coach Damian McGrath is utilising the big forward and his side's fourth place finish in Wellington was testament to that. Joaeli Lutumailgi – Fiji A star in the newly shaped Gareth Baber Fiji squad, Lutumailagi made headlines in Wellington, scoring six tries.
His score in the final against South Africa, where he took Senatla on the outside was an iconic moment from the tournament and he will be looking to produce more of this in Sydney.
James Fleming – Scotland Fleming was one to watch going into Wellington and remains one to watch in Sydney. His crucial try saving tackle against England in the Cup quarter-finals was a highlight of the weekend and he also scored five tries, not bad at all. Henry Hutchison – Australia Hutchison was the star of Sydney in 2016, scoring a double in his side's Cup quarter-final match against England.
Australia may have lost out by just three points in the final against New Zealand last year (27-24) but Hutchison now has that experience to fall back on going into the fourth round of the series. Luke Treharne – Wales Back for the Sydney Sevens after missing Wellington, Treharne is one of the most agile players on the series, with a hot step and pace to boot.
With Wales firing well on the series after three rounds, the addition of Treharne could help take them into the business end of the tournament. Perry Baker – USA There's nobody quite like Baker on the series when it comes to finishing. Multiple times he has run from his own 22 to score, leaving a trail of players in his wake.
He has 13 tries this season and will have to be firing if USA are to improve on their performance in Wellington, where they lost out to Kenya in the Challenge Trophy semifinal, 19-12.
African News Agency