UP-Tuks sevens head coach, Johan Visser, has named a strong fifteen-man squad for the Varsity 7s tournament that will be held at Villagers Football Club in the heart of the Mother City this weekend.
Visser’s squad is sprinkled with youth and experience. He has included several players that saw action in this year’s FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International or previous seasons of South Africa’s premier varsity rugby competition. One such player is the impressive Luke van der Smit.
“When I saw Luke play in the Varsity Cup earlier this year I knew that I wanted him in my squad. Luckily he is available so I’m a happy coach,” said Visser.
“Having said that, sevens, like fifteens, is not a one man game. We have an excellent blend of experience and youth. Our captain, WJ Strydom, has played for the Blitzbokke, so his knowledge of the game will help the youngsters,” he added.
Sevens rugby is a completely different type of rugby and Tuks will be looking to finish better than last year’s runner’s up but Visser, who is in first season as coach, is confident his charges have prepared well and have it in them to go all the way and be crowned champions.
“I did not have to change much in regards to the structures which meant we could jump straight into our preparation. We just had to find the right balance which I think we have,” explained Visser.
“I get goosebumps thinking about how close we came last year to winning the title. If we can minimise our injuries by rotating our squad properly over the three days then I definitely believe we can win,” he added.
Tuks will face UWC, Madibaz (NMMU), UCT Ikeys, Maties and NWU-Pukke on Day 1 (30 April) while they will contest matches against WSU, UFS Kovsies, UJ and UFH on Day 2 (1 May). The last day of play (2 May) will see the teams battle for top place finishes.
A select number of matches will be televised live on SuperSport 7. Kickoff times can be viewed here: http://www.old.varsitysportssa.com/7s-fixtures-results/
UP-Tuks 7s squad:
Impi Visser, Luke van der Smit, Pieter van Vuuren, Carlo Engelbrecht, WJ Strydom (c), Jacques Rossouw, Mervano de Silva, Hein Schoeman, Lourens Pretorius, Pieter Uys, Quaide Langeveldt, Keano Langeveldt, Dewald Naude, Brendan Owen, Jaco Snyman.
By Dan Lombard
