Former Tuks rugby star gets his chance to play for Blitzboks
A former star centre of Tuks' Varsity Cup rugby team will make his debut for the Blitzboks in the Dubai sevens tournament.
Former Tuks Varsity Cup star Impi Visser will make his Springbok Sevens debut in Dubai next weekend after he was included in the travelling squad by Blitzbok coach Neil Powell.
The South African coach also recalled Kyle Brown, Branco du Preez and Muller du Plessis for the opening tournament of the 2018/19 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
The World Series opener will be played at The Sevens Stadium at the outskirts of Dubai on 30 November and 1 December and will see the Blitzboks defend the Emirates Trophy they won last year, as well as the overall series title. The South Africans have been grouped with Argentina, Samoa and Zimbabwe in Pool A.
Visser will earn his Blitzbok debut in a team laden with experienced campaigners, including Brown (65 tournaments) and Du Preez (61) tournaments, both of whom are fit again after missing out on the Rugby World Cup Sevens in July, where South Africa claimed bronze.
Philip Snyman will captain the side for his third season in charge, while regulars Zain Davids, Ryan Oosthuizen, Werner Kok, Justin Geduld, Dewald Human and Siviwe Soyizwapi will make the trip to Dubai.
Powel said those outside the squad will play for the SA Rugby Sevens Academy side in Dubai.
“They will not only get valuable game time, but also an opportunity to stake their claim against international opponents – just look at Impi as an example,” Powel explained.
Visser made his SA Rugby Sevens Academy debut in Dubai in 2016 and played there again last year before suffering a serious ankle injury when he toured South America with the Academy squad last January.
The former Tuks player, who was part of their Varsity Cup winning side in 2017, moved down to Stellenbosch this year, where he completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering.
The 23-year-old Visser started his career at scrumhalf, where he played Craven Week for Mpumalanga, before moving to the midfield for the University of Pretoria. He will play in the forwards for the Blitzboks.
An excited Visser said he looked very much forward to the event and the opportunity to play for the Blitzboks.
“It is a massive honour and privilege and I don’t think I have stopped smiling since I was told I’ll be making my debut in Dubai. It was a long and hard road for me, recovering from my injury and finishing my studies as well, but all is now worth the effort,” Visser concluded.
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