A year ago, an excited and determined David Brits arrived in Perth with the Springbok Sevens squad keen to debut for his country in the abbreviated version of the game.
Prior to that, the former SA Schools and Junior Springbok representative had good memories of his previous experiences in green and gold, but playing for the Blitzboks was “something else”, the 27-year-old admitted afterwards.
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Now, a year later, Brits returns to Perth for the HSBC SVNS at HBF Park, this time with a clear understanding of the mission at hand and keen to improve on their fifth-place finish in 2024.
“It’s exciting indeed – we had a good performance in our last tournament by winning in Cape Town and although we put that behind us, we now know what can be done if we apply ourselves properly,” Brits said on Monday, after the team enjoyed a solid gym flush-out and field session.
“Perth is a great venue, it is a fast and hard field, it is quite hot out here and the support for us is good. We are used to training in the heat back home, so that is no problem, while we prefer a fast game as well, so it all adds up for us.”
He scored the decisive try in the Cape Town final and for Brits, the opportunity to become a permanent starter in the team, now looms large. Last season, a broken rib was amongst some niggles that impacted on his regular selection.
“The season was not the greatest in that regard, but so far so good this year,” he said. “I just want to contribute to the team and make sure we represent the Bok logo with the respect it deserves.”
The centre berth he had in fifteens has now been traded for a front row position in sevens, but that does not bother Brits at all: “It is where the coach wants me to contribute to this side and that is where I am happy and honoured to play and serve my country.”
The Blitzboks have an experienced core to their squad, with Ryan Oosthuizen and Siviwe Soyizwapi being joined by Zain Davids as players who have played in 50 world series tournaments, while Impi Visser (41) and Selvyn Davids (37) are also closing in onto that mark.
Brits will only play in his sixth event and could be an unknown factor to their opponents this weekend.
“That could be the case, but to be honest, I don’t really care what or what not our opponents know about me,” he said.
“The only ones I am keen to impress are those who know me, like my team. And they know that I will give everything for them and for this team. That is all that matters in that regard. I just want to add a bit of David to the Blitzboks,” he smiled.
Blitzboks’ leading points scorers this season:
- 37: Tristan Leyds
- 25: Ricardo Duarttee, Donavan Don, Quewin Nortje
- 15: Zain Davids, David Brits
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