KNYSNA RUGBY NEWS - Local women's rugby heroes Mathrin Simmers and Zandile Masuku have once more been included in the Springbok Women's Sevens training squad, this time ahead of next month's Rugby World Cup Sevens to be played in Cape Town from 9 to 11 September.
The squad of 13 players was announced by Springbok Women's Sevens coach Paul Delport on Monday 22 August.
If Simmers gets a run at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in September, this year will be the third edition of the competition in which she has played for South Africa's women's sevens team, while Masuku will be making her Rugby World Cup Sevens debut if she is selected.
The group is very strong ahead of next month's tournament, with only one player who has no form of international experience.
Delport aims to bring the players up to speed in a synchronised way, which will be the main focus at the team's RWC Sevens camp in Stellenbosch that started Wednesday 24 August.
"They have all played sevens this year, so there will a good foundation and that is a positive," said Delport. "The first couple of days will be used to see how much is needed to get them on the same level from a conditioning perspective and just to ease everybody into being a squad again."
He also indicated that this is a squad to look out for. "This is a very exciting group of players. Sadly, we have lost some players to injury in the lead-up to the World Cup, which was the one tournament everyone wanted to play at, and one has to feel for those players, but that is the reality of sport. This is a group of determined individuals and if we combine that mindset, the team will give a good account of themselves."
Past experience
Although Masuku will make her RWC Sevens debut, she is not without international experience. She represented Imbokodo - the nickname for the SA women's sevens team - at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in July and August. She played six games, scoring two tries in the seventh place play-off against Sri Lanka that SA won 52-0.
Simmers, on the other hand, has vast experience for Imbokodo. Simmers (34) made her debut for Imbokodo in 2012 and has been representing the SA Women's Sevens team consistently in the decade since.
She has also been handed the captain's armband on a few occasions, and remains the only Knysna local to captain an SA rugby side. Like Masuku, she also played in each of the six games at the Commonwealth Games.
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