Hele, Minnaar added to Springbok Women's Sevens squad

Springbok Women's Sevens interim coach Renfred Dazel has roped in South African fifteens Rugby World Cup star Aseza Hele and Anacadia Minnaar to join his squad for the HSBC Cape Town Sevens, to be played on 9-11 December.

Furthermore, Snenhlanhla Shozi, who missed selection for the trip to the Dubai Sevens International Invitational tournament, has met up with her team in Cape Town already.

This was necessitated after three key players picked up injuries in Dubai.

Eloise Webb has already been ruled out of playing in Cape Town, while the results of scans will determine the continued presence of the two co-captains to Dubai, Sizophila Solontsi and Mathrin Simmers.

Hele has not played for the national sevens side before, but was a standout at the recent Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, where she was included in a number of media outlets’ Team of the Tournament.

Minnaar made her fifteens debut for South Africa in 2019 already, but only became a dual-code Springbok in 2022 when she played in the Rugby Africa Sevens Cup tournament in March and the HSBC France Sevens in Toulouse, where South Africa managed to beat Spain, one of their pool opponents this weekend.

Minnaar also played for the team in the Commonwealth Games, but she was injured in Birmingham and this will be a return to action for the Eastern Province player, should she make the final 13 player squad.

Apart of Spain, Australia and Ireland will await the Springbok Women's Sevens on the weekend in what will be a challenging assignment.

Dazel will name his tournament squad on Wednesday.

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