'I am finally injury free': Human relishing return after 11 months out

Dewald Human will make his return to the Blitzboks after 11 months out with injury this weekend in Vancouver.

The 30-year-old, who has played in 31 HSBC SVNS events and scored 320 points, confirmed that the excitement he feels is similar to when he made his debut in 2017.

“It is great to be back for a number of reasons – I have not played since Singapore last year and I am finally injury free and ready to go,” Human said.

“What I am looking forward to this time is the fact that the other playmakers in the squad, like Ronald (Brown), Selvyn (Davids) and Tristan (Leyds), are also there and I think we can create a lot of opportunities for the rest of the squad. That is certainly something I cannot wait to do.”

After four HSBC SVNS Series tournaments so far this season, South Africa are second in the overall standings.

They are the only team to have won two tournaments this season, although inconsistency in Dubai and Singapore means that Fiji top the table thanks to four podium finishes.

The next fortnight in North America is set to be the most important period of the Blitzboks’ season.

World champions a year ago, Human wants to finish the season at the top of the table before World Championship events in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux to finish the season.

“Winning the series is one of our objectives and if we do well in Vancouver and New York, we will come very close to that aim,” he said.

“So, a good start in Canada will be important. We had a good week of training in Stellenbosch and just need to add some touches before the tournament start in Canada.”