The teams were level 14-all at full time. Watson’s try came four minutes into extra time. England won 19-14.

England had the chance to win the match with the last play of the game in normal time. They were awarded a penalty and opted to take a drop kick for goal. It missed.

Watson then rounded off a move after England had retained possession for two minutes.

South Africa suffered further embarrassment when they lost for a second time in the tournament to the USA and were eliminated in the secondary silverware play-offs.

New Zealand beat Australia 47-12 in the final and ended the season with a 178 points, the most ever in the World Series’ 14-year history.

South Africa was second on 132 points.

The Boks beat New Zealand 28-21 for a third World Series Tournament win of the year but the Kiwis, courtesy of their consistency all season, were crowned World Series Champions for the 11th time in 14 seasons.

New Zealand has won just one tournament this year but invariably they played in the final or semi-final whereas South Africa’s inconsistency in the early part of the Series ensured they were never in contention for the main season prize.

Paul Treu’s side were outstanding in Glasgow, as they were in Tokyo. They have now backed up in successive tournaments. They also hammered New Zealand to win the Las Vegas Sevens.

They also won in Glasgow without two of their best players in Cecil Africa and Branco du Preez.

The Boks, in a repeat of their tournament win in Las Vegas, beat Series leaders New Zealand in the final.

The Boks, who trailed 12-0 at halftime, dominated the second half to win 24-19.

The Boks had earlier edged France 14-12 in the semi-finals after an impressive 19-12 win against Samoa in the quarter-final.

South Africa were in stunning form in the final with Branco du Preez, back in the side after missing three tournaments because of injury, putting in a stellar performance, scoring two tries and contributing a haul of 18 points.

The Blitzbokke not only registered their biggest ever Cup final win over New Zealand, but they also reclaimed second position on the Sevens World Series log.

It was the team’s first Cup success in two years after their win in Scotland in 2011.

Earlier in the day, the Blitzbokke beat Kenya 15-5 to finish top of Pool B.

The other Cup semi-final will be between New Zealand and Fiji after New Zealand beat Canada 17-0 and Fiji edged the USA 21-19.

Click here for all the results

Cup semi-finals:
New Zealand vs Fiji, 9:32pm (SA time)
South Africa vs Samoa, 9:54pm (SA time)

They achieved a 45-0 victory against Uruguay, the only non-core side competing in the tournament, thanks to two tries from Cornal Hendricks, and then beat Canada 17-5.

Their final pool match is against Kenya at 23:50 (SA time) on Saturday.

Click here for Day 1 results

However, he will probably be used primarily off the bench on day one of the three-day tournament.

Du Preez missed the previous rounds of the Sevens World Series in Dubai, Wellington and Port Elizabeth and will add some much-needed experience and attacking options to the injury-plagued Springbok Sevens team.

Ironically, fit-again Du Preez flew into Vegas at the beginning of the week as replacement for rookie Justin Geduld who suffered a fractured wrist in his debut tournament last weekend in Wellington. South Africa lost in the Plate semi-finals in Wellington and will be determined to deliver a much-improved performance at a venue where they have triumphed two seasons ago.

Team captain Frankie Horne promised as much: ‘We sorted out those little things that bugged us in Wellington, like our defence,’ he said. ‘Most of the mistakes we made were due to a lack of focus. Those are little things where we did not pay attention to detail. We addressed those issues quite harshly and I am confident things will go much better this weekend.’

The Blitzboks won the 2011 tournament at the Sam Boyd Stadium and Horne believes they will be strong contenders again.

‘I think the players are in a good space for this one and very determined to give it their best. Two years ago we also needed to sharpen up from Wellington and hopefully we will manage to do the same this weekend. Hopefully those small adjustments will bring the results.’

The Springbok Sevens are grouped with Wellington Cup finalists Kenya, Canada and Uruguay and during the pool stage will get the opportunity to avenge last weekend’s defeats against fellow Africans Kenya and fast-improving Canada.

Paul Treu, the Springbok Sevens coach, said his squad realise they have an important task ahead of them in Las Vegas.

‘There’s no hiding from the fact that we must step up in a big way from our disappointing showing in Wellington. The boys are determined to play to their full potential and to show the fighting spirit we are known for,’ said Treu.

South Africa are currently in joint fourth position on the World Series standings on 51 points, which are led by New Zealand.

Blitzboks squad – Chris Dry, Philip Snyman, Frankie Horne (c), Warren Whiteley, Cornal Hendricks, Branco du Preez, Stephan Dippenaar, Pieter Engelbrecht, Paul Delport, Cheslin Kolbe, Tshotsho Mbovane, Seabelo Senatla.

Blitzboks pool fixtures on Saturday:
vs Uruguay – 3:06am
vs Canada – 6:02am
vs Kenya – 11:50pm

Kenya were a second away from a historic first series tournament win but England turned the ball over with time up on the clock and scored to level 19-all. The heartbreak was evident and the Kenyans folded in the first minute of extra time when England scored to take the win and the title 24-19.

Kenya led 19-12 at the break and controlled the second half and seemed to have done enough for a glorious result but two sin-binnings in the last three minutes proved costly, as did confusion about the time left. The televisions clock showed time up but the stadium clock showed 25 seconds. It was in those 25 seconds that Kenya coughed up the ball and England took full advantage.

Hosts New Zealand lead Kenya 14-0 at half-time, but the most popular team at the tournament were stunning in their comeback to score after the hooter to tie it up 14-all.

And then the more physical and desperate Kenyans scored within a minute in the sudden death to win 21-14.

Earlier Kenya won the quarter-final 21-20 against a Bok team that scored four tries but failed to land a kick.

On day one the Boks only won one match in three but went through on points difference. In the quarter-final four tries would usually be enough for victory but Philip Snyman had an awful day with the boot and couldn’t find his radar.

New Zealand, beaten in the semi-final, were too good for Australia 24-5 in the quarter-final. The Kiwis produced their best tournament performance in the third and fourth play-off, beating Samoa 17-7.

Samoa and England, the two most impressive teams, met in the semi-final and England won 21-19.

Corne Hendricks (two) and Stephan Dippenaar gave the Boks a 15-7 lead at the break before Willy Ambaka reduced the lead to just one point. Chris Dry stretched the Boks lead to six points but with two minutes to Ambaka scored his second and Biko Adema added the two points for a famous African win.

What a disappointment in performance for the Blitzbokke, but what a bit of good fortune in advancing to the quarter-finals despite winning just one league game. The South Africans were down right awful in losing to Samoa 19-10 and being stunned by Canada 26-15.

The South Africans won their final match on day one against Wales 21-0 and this gave them a statistical edge over Canada and Wales, who had also won just one match.

The biggest shock belonged to World Series leaders Fiji, who failed to make the quarter-finals for the first time in the history of the World Series. Fiji lost to Scotland and Australia.

Hosts New Zealand came close to going the same way and limped to the play-offs. The New Zealanders were beaten by England and needed a 17-10 win against the USA to advance.

England, having whipped the All Blacks at Twickenham, have the wood over New Zealand in rugby at the moment. The England women triumphed three-nil in the most recent series in England and now the Sevens team proved too good for the Kiwis.

The Boks play Kenya in the quarter-final.

Kenya were unbeaten in the Pool stages.

WELLINGTON SEVENS DAY ONE RESULTS

Kenya 24 France 12
Argentina 21 Tonga 12
Samoa 19 South Africa 10
Wales 26 Canada 17
Australia 24 Portugal 5
Scotland 14 Fiji 12
England 19 New Zealand 14
Spain 10 USA 5
France 28 Tonga 7
Kenya 12 Argentina 0
Canada 26 South Africa 15
Samoa 19 Wales 12
Scotland 19 Portugal 17
Australia 21 Fiji 12
New Zealand 36 Spain 5
England 12 USA 12
Kenya 17 Tonga 10
Samoa 26 Canada 12
Argentina 17 France 14
Australia 29 Scotland 5
England 28 Spain 5
South Africa 21 Wales 0
Fiji 24 Portugal 7
New Zealand 17 USA 10

Regular captain Kyle Brown (ankle), Cecil Afrika (knee), Branco du Preez (hamstring), Steven Hunt (ankle) and Ruwellyn Isbell (soft tissue neck injury) are all unavailable because of injury.

True has called up two 19-year old debutants in Justin Geduldt and Seabelo Senatla, who both recently signed two-year contracts with Saru to play for the Springbok Sevens and are currently part of the SA U20 training squad, while Pieter Engelbrecht was preferred over Bernado Botha.

‘We will have three 19-year-olds – Geduldt, Senatla and Cheslin Kolbe – in our travelling squad, so from that perspective it is very exciting and I am delighted for the youngsters,’ said Treu. ‘However, they could not have asked for a more daunting challenge, and it will be up to them to prove themselves against strong opposition.’

The Wellington Sevens takes place on 1-2 February and will be followed by the Las Vegas event a week later.

Springbok Sevens – Chris Dry, Philip Snyman, Frankie Horne (c), Warren Whiteley, Cornal Hendricks, Justin Geduldt, Stephan Dippenaar, Paul Delport, Cheslin Kolbe, Tshotsho Mbovane, Seabelo Senatla, Pieter Engelbrecht.

Kaizer Chiefs beat the Lions 22-14 and Living Ball 33-19 to advance to the knockout rounds. Their only defeat of the day came against the Sharks, who won the clash 28-24.

The Amakhosi will, however, face a tough task on day two as they face the unbeaten All Stars in their first play-off clash.

The big disappointment of the day was WP, who lost all their games against the Sharks (24-22), Lions (40-5) and Living Ball (38-0). The Cape union have been eliminated from the tile race.

On Saturday, the Cup quarter-finals are scheduled as follows: All Stars vs Kaizer Chiefs, Cheetahs vs Lions, Samurai vs Blue Bulls, Sharks vs Boland.

The tournament winner receives a prize of R1 million.

Round One:
Kaizer Chiefs 22 Lions 14
All Stars 26 Boland 12
Mohicans 26 Vikings 24
Cheetahs 26 Blue Bulls 19
Samurai 19 Living Ball 12
Sharks 24 WP 22

Round Two:
All Stars 19 Cheetahs 12
Boland 35 Vikings 14
Blue Bulls 35 Mighty Mohicans 12
Samurai 19 Sharks 12
Kaizer Chiefs 33 Living Ball 19
Lions 40 Western Province 5

Round Three:
All Stars 19 Mighty Mohicans 15
Cheetahs 33 Vikings 0
Blue Bulls 49 Boland 21
Samurai 31 Lions 12
Sharks 28 Kaizer Chiefs 24
Living Ball 38 Western Province 0

Gollings scored a record 2 652 points and 220 tries on the Sevens World Series circuit and knows Outeniqua Park well having played there when it hosted the South African tournament.

‘It’s great to be back in George,’ he said. ‘The ground has one of the most spectacular back drops. The town and the surroundings are stunning and there is plenty to do and see. I think it is the start of a new era in sevens and I’m really looking forward to how the tournament plays out.

‘George attracted a big crowd [when it hosted the SA Sevens] and I look forward to seeing all those supporters back out to watch sevens in a different style where you get to see the big names playing together rather than against each other. I expect the rugby to be tough and competitive on the field.’

Gollings, who is currently based in Sri Lanka where he is coaching in 15s and sevens, said he hadn’t given up hope of wearing the England jersey again.

‘I would love to still be playing at the top level of sevens. It all finished a bit too quickly for me and I really miss it. It’s always hard watching. If I ever had the opportunity to play again at that level I would definitely consider it strongly.’

Sevens Premier League squads:

Blue Bulls – Shaun Adendorf, Andre Warner, Roelof Smit, Jason Kriel, Jacques Rossouw, Christiaan de Bruin, Cornelius Cooper, Jesse Kriel, Daniel Kriel, Travis Ismaiel, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Clayton Blommetjies. Coach: Fielies Coetzee

Boland Kavaliers – Philip van Zyl, Ben Venter, Ashton Constant, Ntando Kebe, Deston Wellman, Eric Zana, Tythan Adams, Thor Halvorsen, Garth April, Brendon April, Dual Erasmus, Albert Trytsman, Adi Jacobs, Franzel September. Coach: Abie Davids

Cheetahs – Ryno Benjamin, Robbie van Schalkwyk, Marnus Schoeman, Torsten van Jaarsveld, Leon Karemaker, Boom Prinsloo, Pieter van Zyl, Sarel Pretorius, Willie le Roux, Barry Geel, Raymond Rhule, Philip Burger, Kevin Luiters, Hansie Graaff, Johann Sadie, Tertius Daniller. Coach: Hawies Fourie.

Kaizer Chiefs – Wilhelm Koch, Bom Samaai, Breyton Paulse, Wandile Mjekevu, Jongi Nokwe, Gareth Krause, Junior Bester, Elmo Thomas, Cameron Jacobs, Friedrich Lombard, Adrian Jacobs. Coach: Gcobani Bobo

Lions – Ruan Combrinck, Derick Minnie, Claude Tshibidi, Andries Coetzee, Robin Coetzee, Whestley Moolman, Morne Laubscher, Ruhan Nel, Jacques Nel, Ross Cronje, Senzo Shabalala. Coach: JP Ferreira

Living Ball – Jonathan Mokuena, Reg Muller, Wendal Wehr, Alshaun Bock, Marius Delport, Dean Heymans, Shaun Davids, Donnovan Marais, Berty Visser, Earl Lewis, Stefan Terblanche, Dirk Dippenaar. Coach: Freddie Grobler.

NBM All Stars – Stefan Basson, Ben Gollings, Zar Lawrence, MJ Mentz, JW Jonker, Juan Swanepoel, Danwell Demas, Rosco Specman, Jaco Bouwer, Deon Helberg, Danie Dames, Bok Barnard. Coach: Jimmy Stonehouse.

PlayerLink Mohicans – Justin Peach, Christopher Juries, Julian Erasmus, Richard Prinsloo, Mark Winter, Josh Basingthwaighte, Tiger Bax, Jeandre Blom, NW Smit, Karlo Aspeling, Juan Smit, Andre Smit, Stefan de Villiers, Chris Cloete, Izak Saaiman. Coach: Dawie Snyman

Samurai International – Pieter Engelbrecht, Kwagga Smith, Carel du Preez, Jack Wilson, Jack Welsch, Shannon Rick, Justin Geduld, Werner Kok, Seabelo Senatla, Derich Badenhorst, Henk de Ridder, Sergio Torrens. Coach: Marius Schoeman

Sharks – Terra Mthembu, Brynard Stander, Subura Sithole, Peet Coetzee, Anton Verster, Gouws Prinsloo, Milo Ngoro, Mzo Mbona, Calvin Karnezos, Garath Meikle, Sean Robinson, Jaco van Tonder, Sizo Maseko. Coach: Roelof Kotze

Vikings – Jonathan Adendorff, Lean Schwartz, Kempie Rautenbach, Fabian Juries, Mzwandile Stick, Anthony Volmink, Jacques Erasmus, Ruan Mostert, Jody Reynecke, Guy Cronje, Enrico Acker, Shane Spring. Coach: Darryl Weir

Western Province – Ryan Smith, Sibusiso Notshe, Arno Johnson, Craig Pheiffer, Kobus Van Wyk, Clearance Khumalo, Freddie Muller, Tim Swiel, Dean Hammond, Dillyn Leyds, Craig Berry, Chevandre  van Schoor.  Coach: Jerome Paarwater

Tells us a bit about yourself.
Rugby has always been in my blood so I pursued a career in the game [he played Currie Cup and Super Rugby for the Lions, as well as for the Valke and Blue Bulls Merit A side] before finishing my studies at Tuks and becoming an advocate. I also started PlayerLink, with Rod Labuschagne [who played professional rugby in South Africa, New Zealand, France, Italy and England], which we aim to make the best sports management company in the country.

Why did PlayerLink buy a Sevens Premier League team?
Sevens rugby is going to become huge in the run-up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. When I heard about the Sevens Premier League that will be held in George this December I just knew PlayerLink had to get involved in some way, and what better way than to put together a fantastic team under our name.

What is the name of your team?
We thought it important to choose a nice, catchy, IPL-type name that spectators could relate to. So we decided to call our team the Mohicans.

How much did you pay for the team?
The franchise licence was R50 000 and it will cost us about R300 000 to participate in the tournament.

Who will coach your team?
We have secured the services of Dawie Snyman Jnr, who is an expert in sevens. Charl Malherbe and Jason Sivil will be assisting him. [Springbok loose forward] Jacques Potgieter will manage our team and be co-ambassador with [WP centre] JP du Plessis [right].

Which players did you sign?
Since all the big unions were reluctant to release any big name Super Rugby and Springbok players we opted to go for young up-and-coming talent with a blend of experience to secure a good mix. Our squad consists of Julian Erasmus, Justin Peach, Richard Prinsloo, Christopher Juries, Mark Winter, Josh Badsingthwaighte, Tiger Bax, Jeandre Blom, NW Smit, Juan Smit, Andre Smit, Stefan de Villiers, Chris Cloete and Izak Saaiman.

What sponsors do you have?
We are sponsored by Cable Mack and Cable City who are two of the biggest cable suppliers’ in Gauteng. XCO has come onboard as our clothing sponsor and BSN medical has sponsored all our strapping.

As owners, how involved will you be with the team during the tournament?
We will mostly be in the background helping with logistics and observing the coaching staff. It’s important to let the guys go out and have fun while showing off their talent while promoting PlayerLink and the game.

The Blitzboks ended the competition on a high, beating Argentina 35-0 in the third-place play-off. South Africa’s task was made easier by the fact that Argentina’s semi-final encounter with France went deep into extra time, and so fatigue took its toll on the South Americans in the last game of the day.

Indeed, France also struggled to keep up with New Zealand, who eventually won the final 47-12.

The Kiwis were deserved winners, having beaten the Blitzboks 12-5 in the semi-final. South Africa started that play-off impressively, taking the fight to the New Zealanders at the collisions and weighing in with some brutal and error-inducing tackles.

It was their defence as much as their attack that allowed them to go to the break with a 5-0 lead. Paul Delport was on hand to finish a well-worked try, and also made a crucial contribution at the close of the half when his desperate tackle denied the Kiwis a try.

But it didn’t take long for New Zealand to draw level, with Kurt Baker crossing the tryline early in the second stanza. Baker was so nearly in for his second later in the half, and again it took some desperate defence to stop the Kiwis’ momentum.

That stalling of momentum was only temporary, however, as New Zealand struck the decisive blow moments later. After bulldozing the Blitzboks at the ruck and robbing them of possession, New Zealand shifted the ball wide and scored the match-winning try.

For all the results, click here

In their last game of the day, the Blitzboks downed Australia 17-7.

Cecil Afrika and Chris Dry dotted down to give the hosts a 12-7 lead at the break. During the second half, Frankie Horne dived over to complete the team’s unbeaten run in Pool A.

Paul Treu’s men will face the USA in their Cup quarter-final fixture on day two.

In their second match of the tournament, South Africa came from behind to edge France 12-5.

France scored first via Paul Albaladejo. But tries from Cornal Hendricks and Paul Delport on either side of half-time was enough to secure the win.

Earlier in the day, the Blitzboks beat Samoa 29-7.

South Africa scored five tries for the victory, with Chris Dry grabbing a hat-trick.

The Blitzboks held a 17-7 lead at the break as Dry, Cecil Afrika and Hendricks crossed the chalk. Samoa hit back via Reupena Levasa.

The Springbok Sevens then cruised to victory with Dry completing his scoring spree in the second stanza.

South Africa’s results (Day 1):
Blitzboks 29 Samoa 7
Blitzboks 12 France 5
Blitbzoks 17 Australia 7

Click here for all fixtures and results

Afrika is one of three changes to the squad, with Cheslin Kolbe replacing Kevin Luiters and Bernado Botha in for Steven Hunt, who was ruled out because of an ankle injury.

The Blitzboks will be captained by Frankie Horne who will play in his 44th consecutive World Series tournament. Horne will also equal the SA Sevens tournament appearance of Fabian Juries.

‘We know the fans expect us to do well and we will do our best not to disappoint them,’ said coach Paul Treu. ‘It’s nice to have Cecil back because he is such an important player for us.

‘We took Steven for scans this morning and the results on the ankle were not good, so we decided not to risk him and rather play Bernado instead.’

Springbok Sevens – Chris Dry, Philip Snyman, Frankie Horne, Warren Whiteley, Cornal Hendricks, Cheslin Kolbe, Ruwellyn Isbell, Stephan Dippenaar, Paul Delport, Cecil Afrika, Tshotsho Mbovane, Bernado Botha.

Paulse will come out of retirement to captain Kaizer Chiefs in George on 14 and 15 December. Nokwe and Lombard will also provide senior experience, having played Test rugby.

There will be exciting talent in former Sharks and Bulls loose forward Daniel Adongo (who starred for Counties Manakau during the New Zealand Cup), former Baby Bok flyer Wandile Mjekevu and Cheetahs wing Cameron Jacobs. Young WP junior speedster Elmo Thomas, who was recommended by Stormers head coach Allister Coetzee, is included too.

Kazier Chiefs will announce the signings of two more players later in the week.

‘We have a good mix here,’ said head coach Gcobani Bobo. ‘You have the proven qualities of those Springbok players, the exciting potential of the young guns like Wandile and Elmo and the hard core experience of guys like Wilhelm and Junior.

‘I realise that we will have very little time to prepare, but other teams will be in a similar situation. The fact that we can use rolling substitutions will obviously help me to manage those players who have not played sevens recently. I think this team will do Kaizer Chiefs proud.’

Springbok and Sharks hooker Bismarck du Plessis will also be a team ambassador during the tournament.

Kaizer Chiefs will play against the Lions, Sharks and the Living Ball franchise on day one.

The Kaizer Chiefs squad: Breyton Paulse (c), Daniel Adongo, Shuaib Samaai, Jongi Nokwe, Junior Bester, Elmo Thomas, Friedrich Lombard, Cameron Jacobs, Wandile Mjekevu, Wilhelm Koch.

Portugal recorded not one but two massive upsets on Day 1 of the tournament. First they shocked the Blitzboks 12-10 thanks to a try in the final play of that contest. Then they edged England 22-21 to put themselves into a position to win the group.

South Africa started the day with an unconvincing 19-10 win over England, and lost their captain Kyle Brown to an ankle injury in the process.

They were then outplayed by a physically-superior Portugal side, who also showed terrific skill and composure throughout the game.

Samoa managed to beat Portugal, but went down to England. This meant that the final fixture of the pool between South Africa and Samoa would determine who advanced to the Cup quarter-finals along with Portugal.

The Pacific islanders were the more clinical of the two teams, with former Eastern Province wing Paul Perez crashing over for two tries in the first half. This left South Africa with too much to do in the second stanza, and Samoa eventually emerged as comfortable 10-5 winners.

Portugal and Samoa will now advance to the Cup quarter-finals, while South Africa will play against Russia in the Bowl quarter-finals.

For all the updates and results, click here.

Six unions (WP, Boland, the Cheetahs, Bulls, Lions and Sharks) will enter a team, while there will also be six privately owned franchises (NBM All Stars, Vikings, Mighty Mohicans, Samurai, Kaizer Chiefs and Living Ball).

While franchises are seeded in four pools, they will play three rounds of randomly selected teams on day one.

Interesting fixtures will see Kaizer Chiefs face the Sharks and Lions, while the Blue Bulls take on the Cheetahs and Boland.

The top-two finishers in each group will qualify for the Cup quarter-finals on day two. There will also be Plate and Bowl play-offs for teams who are eliminated from the title race. The Cup champions will win R1 million.

POOL A
NBM All Stars
Vikings
Blue Bulls

POOL B
Cheetahs
Might Mohicans
Boland

POOL C
Samurai
Kaizer Chiefs
WP

POOL D
Sharks
Lions
Living Ball

SCHEDULE:

DAY ONE
NBM All Stars vs Boland
Vikings vs Mighty Mohicans
Blue Bulls vs Cheetahs
Samurai vs Living Ball
Kaizer Chiefs vs Lions
WP vs Sharks
NBM All Stars vs Cheetahs
Vikings vs Boland
Blue Bulls vs Mighty Mohicans
Samurai vs Sharks
Kaizer Chiefs vs Living Ball
WP vs Lions
NBM All Stars vs Mighty Mohicans
Vikings vs Cheetahs
Blue Bulls vs Boland
Samurai vs Lions
Kaizer Chiefs vs Sharks
WP vs Living Ball

Five of South Africa’s Super Rugby franchises (Stormers, Sharks, Bulls, Cheetahs and Lions) will enter a team in the high-profile sevens event that will run in George on 14 and 15 December.

With a winners purse of R1 million, the coaches of these squads will take a serious aim at claiming the title.

Cheetahs team manager Arni van Rooyen said: ‘Coach Hawies Fourie will pick a team from our Super Rugby squad and once they assemble in two weeks, we will have a better idea of who will play. But the likes of Rayno Benjamin, Kabamba Floors, Boom Prinsloo, Sarel Pretorius and Willie le Roux should be core players.’

Sharks coach Roelof Kotze echoed Van Rooyen’s sentiments. The Durban union won the provincial tournament last weekend, beating the EP Kings in the final.

‘Some of those players [who played in the provincial tournament] will be part of our team traveling to George, but I am waiting to hear which of the wish list of Super Rugby players will be made available,’ said Kotze. ‘The likes of Keegan Daniel, Paul Jordaan and Cobus Reinach are amongst those. The prize money is a definite carrot for us as we can use that money to strengthen our sevens programme.’

There will also be five private teams taking part.

Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse will mentor the All Star team that will include the likes of New Zealand sevens star Zar Lawrence, world sevens top points scorer and former England captain Ben Gollings and Samoan powerhouse Alafoti Fa’osiliva.