Three players added to Blitzbok squad for Cape Town

Springbok Sevens coach Sandile Ngcobo has added three players to his squad that assembled in Cape Town on Monday as they prepare for their home leg in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

Christie Grobbelaar and Darren Adonis, who both played in the opening tournament of the 2022/23 series in Hong Kong, are back in the group of 15 players, while Jaiden Baron also finds himself with the Blitzboks squad for the first time.

Grobbelaar has played nine times and Adonis eight times for the Blitzboks and both were in action in Dubai last weekend, in the colours of the Samurai team that played in the International Invitational tournament, where Baron, a former Boland Kavaliers scrumhalf, also played and did enough to convince Ngcobo and his management to pull him in.

Both Adonis and Baron provide cover for Dewald Human, who limped off the field in Dubai. The Blitzboks medical team are awaiting the results of a scan to decide on whether Human will be available.

The Springbok Sevens are first seeds in Cape Town following their tournament victory in Dubai and will face Canada, Fiji and France in their pool matches on Friday and Saturday.

The Canadians are up first on the opening day, while Fiji and France will test the Blitzboks, who suffered close defeats to both teams when they last played in Hong Kong. Both are also in the top five of the current standings.

HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings:

32: South Africa, Australia

30: France

29: Ireland

27: Fiji, USA

25: New Zealand, Argentina, Samoa