Senatla the South African star of Sydney

As the Hamilton 7s nears, we reflect on the impact of Blitzbok Seabelo Senatla over the weekend of the Sydney 7s and his importance in the upcoming tournament.

Seabelo Senatla, in a career total of 187 matches, has scored 1055 points. Making his average 5,64. Basically, a try a match. And in Sydney this past weekend, Senatla’s performance remained consistent with what we’ve come to expect from him. Breathtaking speed and a steady tally of tries. In fact, not only did he make the HSBC Sevens World Series “Dream team”, he also racked up the second most tries of the tournament (8) second only to USA’s speedster Perry Baker (9).

Senatla, much like his team, has been an image of consistency on the sevens circuit the last few years, very rarely having a poor tournament. With the Blitzboks losing two key players to injury, in captain Philip Snyman and Ruhan Nel, they will be heavily reliant on Senatla’s experience and form at the upcoming Hamilton Sevens.

Just about each team has their own try-scoring-speed-machine, but what sets Senatla apart is his skill level. His measured running lines and his understanding of the game add hugely valuable variety to his pure speed. The Blitzboks remain top of the HSBC Sevens Table, despite their loss to Australia in the final of the Sydney Sevens last weekend. Will Senatla be a key player in helping them retain the number one spot this weekend and come away with a tournament win?