SOUTH Africa will have to travel a long and hard road to glory at the March 29-31 Cathay Pacific HongkongBank Sevens after the republic's selectors named an inexperienced squad yesterday.
Only Western Province forward Dion O'Cuinneagan has previously played at the Hong Kong Sevens. His past experience was obviously the reason behind him landing the job of leading the young and wet-behind-the-ears team.
The South Africa Rugby Football Union selectors had little leeway in picking the squad for Hong Kong with the inaugural Super 12s badly hampering their efforts.
On the weekend of the Hong Kong Sevens, three of the four South African provincial sides taking part in the Rupert Murdoch-backed Super 12s, which also features sides from Australia and New Zealand, will be playing.
Natal, Transvaal and Northern Transvaal will be in action. And this is reflected, somewhat, in the composition of the South African side which is heavily weighted with players from Western Province (the other team in the Super 12s who have a bye).
Along with captain O'Cuinneagan, three other players come from Western Province - forwards Janneman Brand and Nigel Witbooi, and back Breyton Paulse. But they are not simply in the side by luck, being part of the team which won Western Province the national sevens championships last weekend at Stellenbosch.
A player to watch will be young Free State winger Stephen Brink who was named one of South Africa's Players of the Year in 1995 and also won the best player award at the national sevens championships.