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Bulls target World Club Sevens title

The Blue Bulls have announced their squad for next month’s inaugural World Club Sevens and team manager Xander Janse van Rensburg insists his side will settle for nothing less than the title at Twickenham.

The Bulls have been drawn in Pool B alongside Premiership runners-up Northampton Saints, San Francisco and Buenos Aires in a group filled with international flavour.

Janse van Rensburg, who is High Performance Manager for the Bulls Super Rugby franchise, has named a squad that combines youth and Sevens experience in equal portions.

The likes of Andre Warner and Jason Kriel have already represented South Africa in the shorter form of the game and the squad is packed with youngsters who have already sampled a big-game atmosphere, be that Currie Cup or South African Varsity rugby.

And Janse van Rensburg insists that his players have a responsibility to represent their country and their team when proceedings get underway at Twickenham on August 17.

“We decided to go with a young squad, but one that has experience in big competitive games and also of the Sevens format,” he added.

“Any Bulls player knows that they have a responsibility when they pull on the shirt and we will be coming to England to win the tournament.

“I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, just that we have not come to just enjoy the spectacle, we play to win and this is a great chance to represent the brand and the Bulls.

“The guys are so excited already about coming to Twickenham, I mean what an incredible honour and an opportunity that is for those guys who have been selected.

“It is a real privilege and we cannot wait to see what the tournament holds for us, now that Sevens is an Olympic sport it is going from strength to strength and there is a huge awareness about the sport now.”

And while Janse van Rensburg admits that his side are a little light on details about their Pool B opposition, he insists they will not be treating any of their rivals lightly.

“Northampton we know a lot about, we watch a lot of Premiership rugby and they are a very strong side,” he added.

“But San Francisco are something of an unknown for us and while Argentina are a country on the up, they have been superb in the Rugby World Championship since joining.

“A lot of their guys play in France nowadays and they have real pedigree, there will be no easy games but we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Blue Bulls Sevens squad: Jan-Frederik Enslin, Ruan Steenkamp, Leneve Damens, Frederik Ryk Ludolf Eksteen, Jason Kriel, Carlo Engelbrecht, Andre Riaan Warner, Emile Nicholaas Temperman, Courtnall Douglas Skosan, Niel Meyer, Morne James Hugo, Vainon Shannon Willis.

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