Uncapped Jayden Nell joins Blitzboks for SVNS 1 title decider in New York

Springbok Sevens ‘A’ representative Jayden Nell has been called into the top squad ahead of the final event of the HSBC SVNS Series regular season in New York, after Christie Grobbelaar suffered a knee injury in Vancouver.

South Africa and Fiji are gearing up for a sprint to the finish line at Sports Illustrated Stadium on March 14 to 15, with both looking to secure the SVNS 1 title. Whoever claims that crown will be exempt from relegation during the upcoming three-leg World Championships.

While South Africa and Fiji are level on the standings with 86 points, the Fijians have a slightly better points differential (+2) going into the final round. Fiji have been regular semi-finalists this season but the Blitzboks will take plenty of confidence into this weekend’s tournament.

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The Blitzboks won the title at their home event in Cape Town last December and followed those heroics with triumphs in Perth and Vancouver. Spain qualified for their first Cup Final of the season at BC Place last time out, but South Africa were far too good in a one-sided decider.

Nell joins the squad after Grobbelaar was ruled out of SVNS New York with a knee injury. The 20-year-old played for the Springbok Sevens ‘A’ side at the Rugby Africa Cup in 2025 and is now in line to potentially debut for the Blitzboks on the world’s premier sevens circuit.

If the Durbanville High School product takes to the field this weekend, he will become the fifth Blitzboks debutant from the 2025/26 season. Nabo Sokoyi, Luan Gilimoee, Renaldo Young and Grant de Jager are the other new caps from the current campaign.

The Blitzboks have been drawn in a tough pool along with Olympic gold medallists France, an in-form Australian side, and traditional rivals the All Blacks Sevens. South Africa overcame the New Zealanders and Australians during their run to the title in Vancouver.

“We were lacking something at times during the season and those lapses cost us, especially in Singapore, when we basically played against ourselves,” SVNS Vancouver Player of the Final Tristan Leyds said.

“The senior guys helped eradicate those. We started slowly, but we continued improving and that final was just a game where everything came together for us.

“Some of them are playing in my position and that added pressure on me to be at my best and I think I responded well, so happy with that outcome too.”