Springbok Sevens coach Chester Williams says he is confident his charges will deliver during the next leg of the Sevens World Series, despite losing four key players to injury and another three to the Super 12 sides.

Speaking at a training camp in Cape Town in preparation for the Chile and Argentine legs of the Series in January, Williams said that whilst these developments had hampered preparations, his team was adopting a positive attitude.

Thobela Mdaka (Natal) and Ashwin Willemse (Boland) could not make the squad due to groin injuries, Barry Jacobsz (South Western Districts) is out due to a hamstring strain and Marius Schoeman (Mpumalanga) has suffered an ankle injury.

Egon Seconds (Western Province) has been drafted into the Stormers squad, Leon van der Heever (Free State) has joined up with the Bulls squad and Wayne Van Heerden (Eastern Province) has been called into the Sharks squad.

Antonuis Verhoeven (Boland) is the only new player in squad for the 14-day camp that ends on December 18. The rest of the players are: Dale Heidtman (Border), Fabian Juries (EP), Helgard Brink, Gerrie Britz (both Free State), Jorrie Muller (Golden Lions), Anton Pitout (Natal), Paul Treu (SWD), and Western Province's Jean De Villiers, Eugene Francis, Brent Russell and Izak Saaiman.

"With these players, I am confident of a good performance in South America," says Williams (pictured). "They are young and determined."

The Springboks play in Santiago, Chile on January 6 and 7, in a pool with England, France and Uruguay. The next leg is at Mar del Plata in Argentina on January 11 and 12.

In the opening round of the 2001/2002 World Sevens Series in Durban, South Africa reached the semifinals where they were eliminated by eventual winners New Zealand. They beat Fiji in the quarterfinals of the Durban event.