Quewin Nortje can still recall his emotions when he walked into the Springbok Sevens set-up a year ago, not quite knowing what to expect, but fully prepared to give it his best shot.
And when the new HSBC SVNS season kicks off in a month’s time, Nortje will be as excited as this time in 2023, when the 21-year-old joined the Blitzbok training squad.
Back then, Nortje did not anticipate a stunning season that would yield him a nomination of World Rugby’s SVNS Breakthrough Player of the Year (won by France’s Antoine Dupont) after scoring 18 tries in six tournaments, as well as his crowning moment, an Olympic bronze medal.
Many of his tries came from exceptional finishes when his superior speed would be too much for scrambling defences, but a pragmatic Nortje maintained that all of those were team efforts, something he insisted will be a strong aspect of the Blitzbok ‘Class of 2025’.
“The willingness to work as hard as you can for a teammate and to put him in a better position is something that is part and parcel of being a Blitzbok – that will never change,” said Nortje.
And knowing you’re doing that while playing for your country and with the Springbok Sevens logo on your chest, spurred on by supporters at tournaments all around the world, made it an easy decision for Nortje when he was offered a full-time contract.
“It is such a great feeling, playing all over the world and being supported by South Africans abroad, and of course, playing in Cape Town in front of such a passionate crowd,” he said.
“I wanted to remain part of that, so I signed on the dotted line and will stay with the Blitzboks until at least 2026,” said Nortje, who had a dual contract with the Vodacom Bulls.
This week, as he returned to the training field after a short stint of rehabilitation following an ankle injury sustained at the Olympics, Nortje was full of running, much to the relief of all concerned, and he is looking set for another strong stint in Green and Gold.
“It is always a rewarding feeling to come back from rehab and feeling strong, as that meant the hours of rehab were worth it. My ankle is feeling great and now I just need to top up on some playing fitness,” he said, adding that the injury also helped him to shift his focus to the future.
“We were proud of that medal in Paris, as we really had to overcome a lot of adversity at the time, but that is in the past now. We have a shared vision of becoming a top two contender in every tournament we play this season, but for that to happen, the hard work must be done and we are doing it at the moment.”
The Springbok Sevens training squad will partake in the News 24 Faster Forward 7s tournament at the Markötter Stadium in Stellenbosch this weekend with two squads – SA Sevens and SA Invitational.
The SA Sevens team will play in Pool C, against Wits Barbarians, Gel Squad and Jaguars, while the SA Invitational side will play in Pool A against the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS), Scorpions and the Chicago Bulls.
The pool games will be played on Saturday, with the knock-out competition on Sunday. Matches will be streamed live by Rugbypass.
Pools:
A: SAS, Chicago Bulls, SA Invitational, Scorpions
B: SA All Stars, Dragons, WP, Bomb Squad
C: SA Sevens, Wits Barbarians, Gel Squad, Jaguars
D: Mauritius, Macassar, Forward Legends, Assassins
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