The Blitzboks will head to the Hong Kong Sevens with uncertainty over a number of key players who are carrying injuries.
Having already secured the 2025-26 SVNS series title, South Africa now shift focus to the World Championship, which begins in Hong Kong from 17-19 April.
The Blitzboks have never won in Hong Kong, which marks the first of three events in the World Championship, followed by tournaments in Valladolid (29-31 May) and Bordeaux (5-7 June).
South Africa enter the World Championship as defending world champions after winning last season’s title in a one-off event in Los Angeles.
Netwerk24 reports that coach Philip Snyman will, however, be without several key players.
Rising star Gino Cupido has been ruled out with an ankle injury, while Christie Grobbelaar (knee) and Dewald Human (shoulder) are also unavailable. There is some hope that Grobbelaar could return for the second leg in Valladolid, but Human is unlikely to feature again this season.
Cupido played a role in the recent triumph in New York, scoring in the final against Fiji as the Blitzboks clinched both the tournament and series honours.
MORE: Snyman hails Blitzboks’ heart
Despite the setbacks, Snyman may be able to call on the likes of forwards Zain Davids and Zander Reynders, as well as playmakers Ricardo Duarttee and Nabo Sokoyi.
The World Championship features the eight tier-one nations in South Africa, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, France, Argentina, Spain and Great Britain, as well as qualifiers from SVNS2 in the form of the USA, Germany, Kenya and Uruguay.
Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images
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