Zain Davids will reach a well-deserved 50th HSBC SVNS tournament cap in Australia next weekend, after the 27-year-old was named in the Springbok Sevens squad for the HSBC SVNS Perth at HBF Park from 24-26 January.
Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman – himself a member of an illustrious group of players with 50 or more world series tournaments – named the durable forward in a squad that show three changes from the one that conquered all at the HSBC SVNS Cape Town last month.
Davids, who co-captained the side along with Impi Visser at DHL Stadium in December 2024, will share the same duties with his fellow prop again.
Ryan Oosthuizen, Ronald Brown and Selvyn Davids are back in the squad for the trip Down Under. They replace Mfundo Ndhlovu, Shaun Williams and Tristan Leyds respectively.
Snyman said Ndhlovu and Leyds were ruled out due to hand injuries, while the return to fitness of Selvyn Davids and Brown results in Williams missing out.
“I have stated at the start of the season that I am hoping to widen the player base and add experience to the group, so changes were always part of the plan, despite the great showing in Cape Town,” said Snyman.
“Some guys would have missed out anyway, but we also sadly lost Mfundo and Tristan to injuries. We still have the starting team from Cape Town travelling and that core should provide some momentum.”
Snyman was pleased to welcome back Selvyn Davids, Brown and Oosthuizen, who, like Siviwe Soyizwapi, is also a member of the “50+ club”.
“Selvyn, our captain for the season, will be eased back into that position,” said Snyman. “I just want him to focus on his own game next weekend and not to worry too much about the rest of the squad. I am delighted to have him back though, as we all know what magic he can bring to a match.
“We all know what abilities Ronald brings to the team, while Ryan’s work rate will be huge for us in a tough pool.”
Snyman suggested that Zain Davids, who made his national debut in Wellington, New Zealand in 2017, will be a significant cog in the Blitzbok engine for the next couple of seasons and praised his contribution thus far.
“I am really pleased for Zain to reach 50 tournaments; it is well deserved,” said Snyman. “He is really playing well at this stage of his career. We would love to make it a special one for him in Perth.”
The Blitzboks will face USA, Australia and Argentina in pool play. They are currently fourth on the world series log after the opening two tournaments in Dubai and Cape Town.
HSBC SVNS top five:
- Fiji – 36 points
- Spain – 32
- France – 30
- South Africa – 30
- Argentina – 28
Springbok Sevens squad for the HSBC SVNS Perth:
#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 51 tournaments, 225 points (45 tries)
#3 Impi Visser (co-captain) – 41 tournaments, 215 points (43 tries)
#4 Zain Davids (co-captain) – 49 tournaments, 225 points (45 tries)
#5 Ricardo Duarttee – 14 tournaments, 241 points (18 tries, 74 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#7 Ronald Brown – 17 tournaments, 379 points (39 tries, 92 conversions
#8 Selvyn Davids – 37 tournaments, 671 points (86 tries, 119 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
#10 Dewald Human – 28 tournaments, 298 points (26 tries, 84 conversions)
#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 55 tournaments, 780 points (152 tries)
#12 Shilton van Wyk – 22 tournaments, 200 points (40 tries)
#14 Quewin Nortje – 8 tournaments, 115 points (23 tries)
#15 Donavan Don – 5 tournaments, 40 points (8 tries)
#19 David Brits – 5 tournaments, 35 points (7 tries)
#21 Zander Reynders – 1 tournament, 0 points
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