Cape Town – Several Springbok Sevens legends like Cecil Afrika, Frankie Horne and Branco du Preez have returned to their roots in Stellenbosch for the second leg of the Rugby Tens Championship.
The two-day event kicks off at the Danie Craven Rugby Stadium, in Stellenbosch on Friday and ends on Saturday.
All the teams are residing at the prestigious Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS), which for many years has been the home of the Blitzbokke. The facility is entirely new to several players from the women, men, boys’ and girls’ teams, while there are some who are well-acquainted with the centre of excellence.
Opened in 2012, SAS has served as the home of the Springboks Sevens team and has its rugby programs too. Professional soccer side, Stellenbosch Football Club, also operates out of the high-performance centre, while also catering to an even wider array of sports.
While the Rugby Tens Championship has an array of players from 25 different nations, a number among its ranks have spent plenty of time honing their talents at the SAS while representing the Springboks Sevens team.
Amongst those in that camp is Cecil Afrika. An 11-year stalwart of the Blitzboks, with the most recent selection for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, Cecil is back in Stellenbosch now as an assistant coach for the Cape Town Wild Dogs.
“It is great to be back at SAS,” Afrika said. “It is the place of champions.
“It is associated with a lot of different sports. There is a soccer team here, and a rugby team. It is nice to interact with different sports coaches and learn how they think about their sports and what motivates them.”
IOL Sport