• • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Reddit
  • Stumble Upon
  • Furl

Paul Treu has started to assemble his new look South Africa Sevens squad ahead of their defence of the IRB Sevens World Series and the first leg which takes place at the Dubai Sevens.

The Springbok Sevens coach has been searching for new players having lost several of last year’s players who started last year's campaign with a win at the Dubai Sevens which takes place this year in December.

On Tuesday he invited four of the most promising Western Cape schoolboy stars to his team's fitness and conditioning tests at the Sports Science Institute in Newlands.

The four youngsters joined seven other contenders identified by Treu and the national selectors for tests at the Institute looking ahead to the Series.

The invited schoolboy stars who rubbed shoulders with the Springbok Sevens players were JP du Plessis, Craig Barry, Heinrich Marcus and Zingisa Ndiki.

Afterwards, the promising SA Under-18 full-back Barry described the day with the team as an amazing experience.

"I was so excited because they are my heroes. We were made to feel at home very quickly and it was a memorable occasion," said a Barry.

Younger players will get their chance

Treu also declared himself satisfied with the day's work.

"This is obviously the start of a long process and we intend to test more players in other areas," said the Bok Sevens coach.

"We have some amazing young talent coming through at schoolboy level and I am pleased with what I've seen."

Treu will have to rebuild his International Rugby Board Series-winning team, because he will no longer be able to call on the services of regulars like Robert Ebersohn, Mpho Mbiyozo, Lionel Mapoe, Philip Snyman, Vuyo Zangqa and Howard Noble.

But nine contracted players reported for duty in Neil Powell, Mzwandile Stick, Renfred Dazel, Kyle Brown, Paul Delport, Chase Minnaar, Ryno Benjamin, Frankie Horne and Marius Schoeman.

Dazel, one of the stalwarts of last season's successful campaign, will start training in four weeks' time only because of a minor knee operation.