There is genuine excitement in the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad with the countdown to the kick-off of the HSBC Cape Town Sevens – the South Africa leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series – now down to three days.
That is the view of Springbok Women’s Sevens wing Marlize de Bruin, who will return to the DHL Stadium three months after her Rugby World Cup Sevens debut for her country.
“Cape Town will always hold a special place in my heart, because it was a great experience to run out for my country and to be able to do that again so soon after (Rugby World Cup Sevens) is a great feeling,” said De Bruin.
“The crowd, the energy and the vibe that this tournament generates makes it an exciting time. I think I might be able to enjoy it a bit more this time around, as I am three months more wiser playing sevens rugby.”
The former Protea netball player opted for the oval ball earlier this year and has made an immediate impact in the squad, scoring a lovely try against China during Rugby World Cup Sevens.
“I was pretty green, so the tournament was huge. This time around, I think I understand the game a bit better and will not be so tense,” she said, adding that the players are responding very well to the interim coaching duo of Renfred Dazel and Cecil Afrika and are looking forward to their Pool A matches against Australia, Ireland and Spain.
“We are executing well to what they want from us, I believe. We have done some good technical work and I think players have a clear picture of what the coaches want from us on game day.”
The squad just returned from Dubai, where they made it all the way to the final of the International Invitational tournament, but came up short against Australia A.
“That was a good tournament for us and a good momentum builder,” said De Bruin. “We have some new players, so it is not the same squad that played here in September. We are growing as a group and everything are falling in place. The players are really excited to go out and play the best we can.”
Dazel meanwhile confirmed that Lusanda Dumke will join the squad and will be considered for the weekend. Dumke made her national sevens debut in Cape Town in 2019 and was part of the squad that won the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Cup in Tunisia earlier in the year.
She then stepped away from sevens to focus on the Rugby World Cup tournament in New Zealand and is now in line to make a return to the Springbok Women’s Sevens for a second appearance at the HSBC Cape Town Sevens. Dazel will name his squad on Wednesday.
