South Africa
South Africa name Francois Hougaard and Juan de Jongh in Sevens squad for Dubai
ESPN Staff
November 25, 2015
Francois Hougaard in action
Francois Hougaard in action© Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images

South Africa have included Springboks Francois Hougaard and Juan de Jongh in their 12-man squad for the opening legs of the 2015-16 HSBC World Sevens Series in Dubai and Cape Town.

With the Olympics looming on the horizon, the Blitzbokke have named a strong side for the first two tournaments of the new season with Hougaard, who has 35 caps for the Boks, joined by 14-cap centre De Jongh.

They are joined by Werner Kok, the newly-crowned World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, Cheslin Kolbe and last season's top-try scorer on the World Series circuit, Seabelo Senatla, alongside stalwarts Cecil Afrika, Justin Geduld and Ryno Benjamin.

Players not considered because of injury are: Branco du Preez (shoulder), Warren Whiteley (calf) and Oupa Mohoje (knee, out for eight weeks).

Springbok Sevens coach, Neil Powell said: "The entire training group worked very hard and the competitiveness amongst the group of players made this my toughest selection job yet.

"I am confident that the squad we are taking to Dubai and Cape Town will give a good account of themselves. This is the most important Sevens season ever, with the bigger World Series set to be even tougher than last season. I think teams would want to position themselves for the 2016 Olympic Games, meaning there will be little room for error."

The Dubai Sevens will be played over the weekend of December 4-5.

South Africa squad: Chris Dry, Philip Snyman, Francois Hougaard, Kwagga Smith, Werner Kok, Kyle Brown (Captain), Cheslin Kolbe, Ryno Benjamin, Justin Geduld, Cecil Afrika, Seabelo Senatla, Juan de Jongh

© ESPN Staff

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