Reynders feels 'gratitude' ahead of Cape Town return

It has been almost an entire year since Zander Reynders made his Springboks Sevens debut in Cape Town.

Now 24-year-old is looking to savour the experience as a regular feature in Philip Snyman’s squad at DHL Stadium this weekend as HSBC SVNS returns to the Western Cape.

Selected for last year’s tournament after a strong individual performance in the Dubai invitational tournament, Reynders was selected to replace vastly experienced Ryan Oosthuizen who was concussed in the desert.

That first tournament was a mesmeric one as Reynders helped the Blitzboks claim a first tournament win in Cape Town since the inaugural 2015 event.

“Being back here makes me realise how fortunate I am and how much gratitude I feel,” Reynders said.

“Last year was a bit of a rush for me, so I am very happy that I can enjoy the whole experience of the Cape Town Sevens this time around, knowing what to expect much better and having a more settled understanding of my role in the team.

“That is probably the biggest thing for me, growing into my role and what responsibilities I have in the squad and once that settled in, I could also start enjoying the game a bit.

“The team made it easy for me, there is good leadership in the squad, and we have a good bond in the team. Coach Philip also is very good in the way he expresses himself, so this time it is a calm Zander that will be running out on Saturday.”

Across the rest of last season Reynders became a regular feature in green and gold. All while completing his final exams in Computer Science at the University of Pretoria.

He played in every remaining HSBC SVNS tournaments and helped the Blitzboks to World Championship glory in Los Angeles.

Coming into their home leg of the season Reynders and his teammates are bruised. A challenging tournament in Dubai saw them finish fifth overall after they finished third in Pool A.

As a result they have a tougher group this weekend. Playing Dubai winners New Zealand, third-place Fiji and seventh-place Great Britain.

“We are playing New Zealand and Fiji in our opening two games – both are big and physical,” Reynders said.

“That means that we as forwards will have to counter that and make sure we dominate up front. If we can get momentum up front and control there, our backs will have space to play and express themselves. And we have seen how devastating they can be.”