David Brits insists the Springbok Sevens forwards take just as much pride in winning the dirty battles up front as the backs do in finishing off spectacular tries.
The 28-year-old forward has been hard at work with the Blitzboks ahead of the SVNS New York. It’s the sixth and final tournament of the regular 2025-26 season, with South Africa duelling with Fiji to see who will be crowned league champions.
MORE: Blitzboks forced into injury change
The Blitzboks will again rely on a strong platform to unleash their dangerous outside backs.
“The forwards really don’t mind doing the hard yards up front,” Brits said.
“We have such talented backs and we know that when we provide them with decent possession, they will make magic out wide.”
Since making his debut in Perth in 2024, Brits has become a regular feature in the squad and has already tasted success with the Blitzboks, collecting multiple tournament titles along the way.
Now the focus shifts to the USA leg of the series, where the stakes are higher than ever.
“We know that every scrum and lineout we win, and every breakdown we contest successfully will give the ball to our backs and then the fun starts,” Brits said.
“I can honestly say all our forwards have the same mindset about doing the donkey work. So, it does not really matter who is on the field, we all have the same goals.”
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While the Blitzboks will be without injured forward Christie Grobbelaar, Brits backed newcomer Jayden Nell to step in.
“Christie brings a lot of speed to the forwards, but Jayden is the same type of player and I know he will do well,” said Brits.
“He has been training with us all this time, so he knows the ins and outs. As with Grant (de Jager) we just need to make sure he stays calm and all will be good.”
Blitzboks pool matches in New York
Saturday 14 March (SA times)
vs New Zealand (5:06pm)
vs France (8:02pm)
vs Australia (10:58pm)
Photo: David Van Der Sandt/Gallo Images
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