Johannesburg – The Blitzboks Rugby Sevens team has used the Solidarity Camp tournament to select its formidable squad to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
Two South African sides, Blitzboks Rugby Sevens and SA Rugby Sevens Academy team, played against Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe, alongside the Stellenbosch Academy, their first international matches in 14 months.
The South Africans last played international rugby in March 2020 when they contested the HSBC Canada Sevens in Vancouver, finishing fourth.
The World Rugby Sevens Series was called off shortly aft er due to the spread of Covid-19.
The 2021 edition will be held after the Olympic Games in July.
The Solidarity Camp was organised to assist South Africa and Kenya with their Olympics preparations, while Uganda and Zimbabwe can fine-tune their preparations for their Olympics qualifiers in Monaco next month.
“The intensity from proper international opponents cannot be replicated on the training field, so this provides us with the ideal stage to front up and to get used to the demands of this level of rugby,” Blitzboks coach Neil Powell said.
By Malibongwe Bhido.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
