MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / Sport / Grobbelaar ruled out of HSBC SVNS Cape Town

Grobbelaar ruled out of HSBC SVNS Cape Town

Springbok Sevens prop Christie Grobbelaar has been ruled out of the HSBC SVNS Cape Town at DHL Stadium this weekend after sustaining an ankle injury.

Grobbelaar picked up the injury at last weekend’s Emirates Dubai Sevens, won by the Blitzboks for a fifth consecutive and 11th time overall.

He underwent a scan in Cape Town after the team arrived back from Dubai which revealed that he is unfit to play on Saturday or Sunday.

Tiaan Pretorius and Tristan Lleyds were called into camp on Tuesday and according to Springbok Sevens head coach, Sandile Ngcobo, the squad will be trimmed to the allowed 13 players on Thursday.

“It is really unfortunate for Christie, as he was in very good form in Dubai and every player in the team wants to play in their home tournament,” said Ngcobo.

“As always in rugby, an injury affords another player an opportunity and it could be Tiaan or Tristan. Tiaan is a straight swop for Christie as a forward, but we also added Tristan as he gives us a different option, should we decide to tweak the team for this weekend.”

Pretorius made his debut for the Blitzboks last year, while Lleyds have been in the wider training squad for the last couple of months.

“There is a good mood in the camp, and everyone is excited about the opportunity to play in front of family and friends. That stems from the confidence gained from the Dubai experience and performance,” Ngcobo said.

“We realise that we need to get back to zero though, we had our 24 hours of glory and now it is back to work again. It was a great start and reward for all the hard work over the last couple of months, but the real challenge now starts and that is to deliver those results on a consistent basis.”

Ngcobo said the Cape Town performances of the past showed that success in Dubai does not necessarily mean the same a week later.
“We are back playing with smiles on faces and guys having each other’s backs, and that is great to see. Our playmakers are fit and on form and as such, we will be a tough team to play against this weekend.”

The Blitzboks, top on the standings after round one of eight in the HSBC SVNS, will face USA, Great Britain and Ireland in their Pool A clashes on Saturday.

Category: Tag:

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Older Persons Grants Land Today — No Need to Queue at Dawn

    Dear Editor, Older Persons grants are paid today, 30 October, under SASSA’s revised November payment schedule — with disability grants on Monday 2 November, children’s grants on Tuesday 3 November, and grants under review on Thursday 5 November. Two things every beneficiary should know. First, grant money does not expire on payment day. It stays…

  • November Grants Pay Early – No Need to Queue at Dawn

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. November grants pay earlier than usual. Older Persons grants are paid on Friday 30 October, Disability grants on 2 November, and Child Support and other grants on 3 November. Grants still under review are paid on 5 November. The money…

  • NSFAS 2027 applications close on 31 October — SASSA households, apply now

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. NSFAS applications for the 2027 academic year close on Friday 31 October 2026, and no extension is expected. If your household receives a SASSA grant, your child already passes the NSFAS financial eligibility test — but they still have to…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The modern game was born at a school in Warwickshire – Rugby’s most widely accepted origin takes us back to 1839, where a Warwickshire Rugby School student, William Webb Ellis, came up with the game by picking up a regular football and charging at the opposing team’s goal. A formal set of rules would be made later that year. Also, another interesting fact about rugby for you – the Rugby World Cup trophy is called the William Webb Ellis trophy after the man who invented the game!

  2. Asif Karim of Kenya has played International cricket and Davis Cup (Tennis) for his countryAsif Karim