Blitzboks coach Neil Powell says he is pleased with the impact Bryan Habana has made over the last two legs of the World Rugby Sevens Series.

Habana will now return to France to resume his club commitments with Toulon after featuring for the Springbok Sevens at the Las Vegas and Vancouver Sevens.

Powell opted to draft Habana into the sevens set-up as part of the team's overall preparations for the Olympic Games in Rio in August.

'It was always going to be tough to come straight from the 15s code immediately into the world series, but Bryan is a true professional and he worked hard,' Powell commented. 'Our squad also learned a lot from having him with us over the past few weeks. We are happy with the way things have worked out for us and for Bryan, and we will obviously talk again with him and his club as we prepare for the Olympics.'

Habana described his stay of almost three weeks with the Springbok Sevens side, and his brief appearances on the series circuit, as a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

'I had a fantastic time with the squad and the experience and memories of visiting two great cities such as Las Vegas and Vancouver is something I won’t easily forget. Everyone in the squad made me feel at home and welcomed me into their fantastic brotherhood, and for that experience I am truly grateful. South Africa can be very proud of what the [Springbok] Sevens have achieved over the past 12 years or so. This squad has the potential to achieve many great things over the next six months.'

The next tournaments will be hosted in Hong Kong from 8 to 10 April and Singapore on 16 and 17 April respectively.

Photo: Don MacKinnon/AFP Photo