Saru congratulates Springbok Sevens on national accolade

The Springbok Sevens team scooped the Team of Year award at the annual SA Sports Awards held in Mangaung on Sunday, November 22.

The SA Sports Awards is annually hosted by the Department of Sport and Recreation of South Africa and recognises South African individuals and teams for their outstanding sporting contributions both on and off the field.

The Springbok Sevens pipped the South African test cricket team and the SA lightweight women’s rowing team to claim the prestigious award.

Sunday evening’s accolade capped a successful 2014/15 season for the Springbok Sevens team as they were the first team to automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and finished second to Fiji on the final standings of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

Kyle Brown and his team mates also won Cup titles in Dubai and Port Elizabeth, where they successfully defended their home tournament title at the Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay SA Sevens.

Werner Kok and Seabelo Senatla were also nominated for the World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year award, with Kok scooping the award in a close race with Senatla, his top try-scoring team mate.

Oregan Hoskins, the president of the South African Rugby Union (Saru), congratulated the Springbok Sevens team and said they deserved their award. “The Springbok Sevens players and management are fantastic ambassadors not only for our rugby, but also for our country,” Hoskins said.

“They always make an impression with their exemplary behaviour and their sportsmanship wherever they go and they deserve their award after a successful season which saw them qualify for the Olympic Games and deliver some outstanding performances on the World Series circuit across the globe.

“On behalf of Saru, I want to warmly congratulate them on their award and wish them well for the forthcoming season. I am sure every South African rugby fan is looking forward to seeing them in action at the inaugural HSBC Cape Town Sevens in December,” said Hoskins.