Selvyn Davids has been one of the unsung heroes for the Springbok Sevens team in recent seasons.
When big guns such as Seabelo Senatla, Rosko Specman and Cecil Afrika have been unavailable for the Blitzboks due to 15s commitments or injury, Davids has been one of the new brigade that coach Neil Powell has turned to on attack.
His lightning speed and terrific skill-set make him a playmaker and strike-runner in one, and having played 15-man rugby for the Griffons and Eastern Province, Davids has found his home in the shortened format.
But with the likes of Senatla and Specman back for the Dubai Sevens, the man from Jeffreys Bay had to play off the bench.
The 25-year-old, though, made his customary impact, scoring another excellent try against Samoa to round off a 38-7 semi-final victory last week.
Davids received the ball around his own 10-metre line, and chipped the ball into space before out-sprinting the defence to dot down.
Powell will bank on him to play a big part at the Cape Town Sevens this weekend, especially with South Africa drawn in a tough Pool A against reigning World Series champions Fiji, USA and Japan.
“It was quite a great feeling (to win in Dubai). We know pre-season is always tough, especially here at the sevens.
“And to start off with a win is always great. We just want to take it from there,” Davids told IOL Sport on Tuesday following a training session at Bishops.
“Obviously there are a lot of expectations because of last week, winning the Dubai tournament. But we have to take it tournament by tournament.
“We know it’s a home tournament and the crowd is always behind us, but we approach every tournament the same.”
Selvyn Davids interacted with Blitzboks fans after practice at Bishops on Tuesday. Photo: Ashfak Mohamed
Meanwhile, the Blitzboks will be without Hacjivah Dayimani at the Cape Town Stadium after he was ruled out with an ankle injury on Tuesday.
The Lions loose forward starred for the SA Sevens Academy in Dubai last weekend, and was set to make his Blitzbok debut at the Cape Town Sevens.
He sat out part of the training session on Tuesday, and SA Rugby confirmed later that there had been a “flare-up” of a previous ankle injury.
Impi Visser, one of the stand-outs from last season, will come in for Dayimani, and Powell will announce his final 12-man squad on Thursday.
“Hacjivah has a full season of rugby ahead of him next year, and his recovery towards that is more important than our short-term goals for this weekend, so there is no sense in risking him,” the coach said.
@ashfakmohamed
IOL Sport
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