Blitzboks call up reinforcements

Coach Neil Powell has added Rosco Speckman and Dylan Sage to the Blitzboks squad ahead of the Cape Town Sevens.

The duo was called up as injury cover for Werner Kok, who sustained a knee injury in Dubai, and Cecil Afrika, who is still nursing a hamstring strain. The pair joined the rest of the squad at their team hotel in Cape Town on Monday afternoon. 

Speckman represented the SA Academy squad in Dubai last weekend and has played in six World Sevens Series for the Blitzboks. The 23-year-old Sage is uncapped, but plays for UCT in the Varsity Cup. 

Powell says his charges have put their Dubai quarter-final loss behind them and are looking forward to playing in Cape Town this weekend.

'The guys are glad to be home and you could see that they are embracing the prospects of playing in front of our home fans. We are looking forward to a good week,' he said.

'They responded well after the USA defeat and played with a lot of pride and character to win the Plate. We realise there will always be pressure on any home team but we showed in Port Elizabeth, where we have won the previous two years, that we can handle the pressure,' Powell added.

The final 12-man squad is set to be named on Thursday.

Photo: Ken Ishii/Getty Images

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Mariette Adams