XOLILE MPISANE
UKAPUTENI weqembu lakuleli lomdlalo wombhoxo ofingqiwe iRugby Sevens, uSiviwe Soyizwapi, uthi bakulungele ukuqhubeka lapho begcine khona uma sebeqala isizini entsha, yeWorld Rugby Sevens eDubai.
AmaBlitzbok aba ngompetha besizini efingqiwe ka-2021 ngoSepthemba, ngenkathi enqoba imiqhudelwano emibili eyayiseVancouver nase-Edmonton, eCanada.
Isizini ka-2022 iqala ngoLwesihlanu eDubai, lapho iqembu lakuleli liqhathwe ne-Ireland, Japan neGreat Britain kweyamaqoqo kuPool C.
“Besizilolonga kanzima ekhempini yethu eStellenbosch, futhi ngikholwa ukuthi iqembu selikulungele ukudlala. Sesilangazelela ukungena enkundleni,” kusho uSoyizwapi.
“Siyasithanda isimo sezulu esifudumele saseDubai, futhi sijwayele ukwenza kahle uma sidlala khona. Sizothatha umdlalo ngamunye futhi siyazi ukuthi yonke imiqhudelwano iyinselelo enzima. Ukuqala isizini ngokunqoba kwenza umehluko omkhulu, kuyalikhuphula izinga lokuzethemba, nokuyinto engasisiza uma sesiqhubekela kweminye imiqhudelwano ezayo.”
Umqeqeshi wamaBlitzbok, uNeil Powell, wenze izinguquko ezine esikwatini esanqoba eCanada. UBranco du Preez no-Impi Visser babuyile eqenjini kwase kubizwa abadlali ababili abasha, u-Shilton van Wyk noTiaan Pretorius.
U-Angelo Davids, Sako Makata, Darren Adonis, Dewald Human noJames Murphy abekho ngenxa yokulimala.
“Nakuba sinedlanzana labadlali abangekho ngenxa yokulimala kodwa sizobe sibheke ukuthi siqhubeke nomfutho esasinawo eCanada, uma sesidlala eDubai. Yingakho zimbalwa izinguquko esizenze eqenjini elanqoba," kuchaza uPowell.
AmaBlitzboks azovula ne-Ireland ngo-07.32 ekuseni, ngaphambi kokuthi abhekane neJapan ngo-11.24, bese eqeda imidlalo yamaqoqo neGreat Britain ngo-2.40 ntambama.
Zizobe zingekho izihlwele enkundleni kulo mqhudelwano wokuqala oseDubai, kodwa zizovunyelwa ukuthi zihambele owesibili edolobheni elifanayo ngempelasonto ezayo.
Ngemuva kwale emibili yaseDubai, uchungechunge lweWorld Series luzodlulela eSpain ngoJanuwari.