Will 2018 finally be Seabelo Senatla’s fifteens breakthrough?
The Blitzboks star's first full season of 15-man rugby didn't quite go according to plan. But those lessons have been absorbed.
Seabelo Senatla didn’t quite set the stage alight in his first full season of 15-man rugby but now he’s ready to improve. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images)
All’s well that ends well for Seabelo Senatla and the fifteen-man format.
It’s a cliche but it’s highly applicable.
The Blitzboks star has never made a secret of wanting to become a Stormers and Springboks stalwart but his first full season of fifteens in 2017 didn’t exactly go to plan.
His Super Rugby campaign in particular was a hit-and-miss affair.
Senatla was caged well on attack and had a habit of conceding too many turnovers.
“The returns weren’t all that solid. It wasn’t really a fairy tale type of story in my opening season,” said the influential winger as he prepares for the weekend’s Sydney tournament of the World Sevens Series.
“I got injured in my first game and had to sit out for eight weeks. But it ended in the most positive way with Western Province winning the Currie Cup. That really was grand. It’s the type of boost you need going into a new season.”
Yet the real value Senatla will take out of that triumph is the fact that he wasn’t merely a member of that squad.
He arguably ended the tournament as the best right winger on show.
The 24-year-old scored nine tries and made 900 running metres, even if his tackling wasn’t as tight as in Super Rugby.
“I’m not complaining about any lesson I learnt in fifteen-man rugby last season. All of them were worthy,” said Senatla.
Despite his focus on his last two tournaments for the sevens season (though the World Cup remains a distinct possibility), Senatla doesn’t feel distracted and torn between his priorities in the respective formats.
In all honesty, he believed sevens is crucial to preparing him for his Stormers duty.
“The impact sevens has on my game is enormous,” said Senatla.
“I always say sevens duty is where I get my speed back. I never really run at a certain speed throughout a game in the fifteens, that’s just the nature of the game. But in sevens, you’re forced to run at a certain speed all the time because you’re sprinting through a game.
“The best way to get back speed is run. The one-on-one tackling situations also help a lot for fifteens.”
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