Exciting Vodacom Blue Bulls fullback Warrick Gelant will make his debut for South Africa at the Dubai HSBC World Sevens Series in December after being named in coach Neil Powell’s 12-man squad on Thursday for Round 2 of the International Sevens extravaganza.
The tournament will be hosted at the Sevens Rugby Stadium on December 5 and 6, followed by the South African leg at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in POrt Elizabeth on 13 and 14 December 2014. The Springbok Sevens side will be hoping to win for the second year in a row on home soil.
Cheslin Kolbe and Rayno Benjamin, two former regular Springbok Sevens stalwarts, meanwhile will make their return to the Blitzboks squad after starring for their provincial unions this past season. There is also a welcome return for regular skipper Kyle Brown, who has overcome his shoulder troubles.
Powell, who coached the Springbok Sevens to second place in the Series last season and to a Commonwealth gold medal in June, said it was a tough job to select only 12 players for Dubai and Port Elizabeth.
“We had 24 players in our training group and all of them could have been selected for the final squad. This was most probably the toughest selection to date for me because the players really played their part during training,” said Powell.
Of Brown’s return, Powell said: “I am glad that we have Kyle back. A shoulder operation prevented him from playing at the Gold Coast. He is a good leader and an experienced player, and he will boost our forwards.”
Kolbe and Seabelo Senatla were both standout players for the Absa Currie Cup champions DHL Western Province in the premier domestic competition. Senatla was also a member of the Springbok squad on their European tour in the last few weeks. However, he was released last weekend to join the Blitzboks in their final preparations before departing for Dubai on Sunday.
Benjamin represented South Africa in 25 World Series tournaments before opting to concentrate fulltime on the 15-man code with the Toyota Free State Cheetahs.
“They (Kolbe and Senatla) are both very exciting players with great game-breaking abilities,” explained Powell. “Our squad has worked extremely hard the past few weeks and we all realise we have to improve a lot on our performance at the Gold Coast.”
The players who participated in the Gold Coast but missed out on selection for Dubai and PE are Chris Dry, Steven Hunt, Stephan Dippenaar and Justin Geduld. Dippenaar and Geduld were not considered due to injuries.
The Springbok Sevens will face Wales, Portugal and Canada in Pool D.
The Springbok Sevens team to play in Dubai (World Series caps in brackets):
- Ruhan Nel (1)
- Philip Snyman (25)
- Frankie Horne (60)
- Kwagga Smith (7)
- Werner Kok (10)
- Kyle Brown (40, captain)
- Branco du Preez (33)
- Rayno Benjamin (25)
- Warrick Gelant (0)
- Cecil Afrika (31)
- Seabelo Senatla (11)
- Cheslin Kolbe (6)
Fast facts:
- Frankie Horne is the only player in the history of the HSBC Sevens World Series to play 60 consecutive tournaments. He will extend that record to 61 in Dubai.
- Cecil Afrika (901*) could pass Fabian Juries (925) as the highest points scorer for the Blitzboks in the HSBC Sevens World Series
- Ruhan Nel became the 155th player to represent South Africa in the World Series in the Gold Coast and Warrick Gelant will be 156th.
- Gelant is a former SA Schools player, who also represented the Junior Springboks at the 2014 Junior World Championship in New Zealand
Alan Straton
Latest posts by Alan Straton (see all)
- The Gold Avenue Urges Krugerrand Holders to Avoid Private Sales to Strangers - 22 October 2026
- Soccer Laduma Urges SA Punters to Read the Terms Before They Bet This October - 21 October 2026
- Nifty Gifts Rounds up Spring Birthday Gifts and New Arrivals for Her - 21 October 2026
- Blackrock Towing Readies Gauteng Drivers for Spring Storm Season Breakdowns - 21 October 2026
- SAFRA Marks 15 Years and Nearly 500,000 Moving Quotes - 19 October 2026
