Regular Springbok Sevens captain Kyle Brown is eager to get back into the Blitzboks jersey and ready to play his part for his country after missing the first round the Sevens World Series in October at the Gold Coast through injury.
A serious shoulder injury sustained in the final of the Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow, in July ruled Brown out of action for several months and forced him to miss the season opener in Australia.
The Springbok Sevens finished fourth at the Gold Coast, a result which coach Neil Powell described as unsatisfactory after errors cost them on the second day’s play.
Brown, who is looking forward to making his return after a lengthy injury-layoff, said he was excited to be back.
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“Injuries are part of the game, but it was tough not to be involved. It was a lonely feeling sitting on the couch watching the guys play on the other side of the world,” Brown said.
Dubai has not delivered much success for the Springbok Sevens lately, but Brown looked forward to playing at the popular desert venue.
“For us, the conditions are similar to Stellenbosch in summer. It is a great running pitch and hopefully it will assist us because we have some fantastic runners in the team,” he said.
Injuries have ruled out Justin Geduld and Stephan Dippenaar, but the return of the influential Brown and the addition of Cheslin Kolbe and Rayno Benjamin will boost the South Africans’ chances of success in Dubai.
Powell also added former SA Schools star and 2014 Junior Springbok fullback Warrick Gelant to his squad.
Brown has 40 World Series tournaments under his belt while veteran Frankie Horne will be playing in his 61st consecutive tournament.
SA Sevens team: Ruhan Nel, Philip Snyman, Frankie Horne, Kwagga Smith, Werner Kok, Kyle Brown (captain), Branco du Preez, Rayno Benjamin, Warrick Gelant, Cecil Afrika, Seabelo Senatla, Cheslin Kolbe.