Kolbe to light up PE in Sevens clash
DAZZLING Cheslin Kolbe is set to light up Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium with his inventive attacking style when the South Africa leg of the HSBC World Sevens series is played in Port Elizabeth on December 13 and 14.
The flyer, 21, will join the Blitz Boks training group in Stellenbosch on Monday when the national team start preparing for the Dubai and Port Elizabeth legs of the World Series which will be played over consecutive weekends.
Springbok centre and former Grey High pupil JJ Engelbrecht is another star who has been called up to add extra punch to the Sevens side.
Ticket prices for rugby's biggest party at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium have been slashed to R30 in a bid to attract record crowds.
Last year the PE leg reached a dramatic and colourful climax after the Blitz Boks won a dream final 17-14 against arch-rivals New Zealand.
There were 32360 fans in the stadium to watch two of world rugby's powerhouses clash. The attendance of 26209 on the opening day took the overall attendance to 58569.
Successful talks between SA Rugby and several provincial unions have paved the way for a number of Currie Cup players to be released for Springbok Sevens training duty.
Engelbrecht, a contracted Springbok with 12 test caps, played for the Blue Bulls in the recent Currie Cup while Kolbe stole the headlines for Western Province in their successful campaign.
Three other Blue Bulls players, utility backs Jesse Kriel, Warrick Gelant and Duncan Matthews, will also assemble at base camp on Monday.
They will be joined by Springbok Sevens regulars Justin Geduld (Western Province), Kwagga Smith and Mark Richards (Golden Lions), who all return to Sevens duties having completed their provincial commitments.
Rayno Benjamin, a seasoned Springbok Sevens and World Series campaigner but nowadays a regular Free State Cheetahs stalwart, has been training with the squad since last week.
The Dubai Sevens take place on December 5 and 6 and will be followed by the Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens in Port Elizabeth a week later, where South Africa are the defending champions.
Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell called the additional players a welcome boost to his preparation plans: "Our training for the Gold Coast tournament was hampered slightly by niggling injuries and Currie Cup commitments.
"But thanks to SA Rugby's High Performance manager Rassie Erasmus we could secure the release of these additional players.
"Cheslin and Rayno know our structures and playing philosophy very well, while I am looking forward to working with the rest of the group," Powell said.
Regular Blitz Boks captain Kyle Brown is still rehabilitating from a shoulder injury and may come into consideration later in the season.
Stephan Dippenaar has been ruled out of the next two tournaments following a hamstring injury sustained at Australia's Gold Coast. Powell will name his 12-man squad for Dubai and PE at the end of the month.
Last month South Africa finished fourth at the season-opening Gold Coast tournament after going down to Samoa in the semifinals. - George Byron
