Blitzbok forward David Brits happy to do the hard yards up front
· Citizen
Blitzboks rising star David Brits said it might look less glamorous to the regular Sevens fan, but winning a set-piece battle that leads to a try is just as rewarding as scoring the try itself.
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The forward was preparing for the Sevens New York tournament this week, again happy to do the donkey work instead of being the racehorse.
The tournament is the last in the regular season, with the Blitzboks tied with Fiji tied on log points after the South Africans won in Vancouver last weekend.
‘We all have the same goals’
“The forwards really don’t mind doing the hard yards up front,” the 28-year-old explained. “We have such talented backs and we know that when we provide them with decent possession, they will make magic out wide.”
Ironically, as an outside back in XVs, Brits has scored his fair share of tries, and he held the Currie Cup aloft with the Cheetahs.
“It took me a while to find my feet in Sevens, it is such a tricky game and I am still learning,” said Brits.
“For now, it is going well and I am truly grateful for that. The fact that I have played in all the tournaments this far also got me into the flow of things and I am really enjoying it.”
The former Junior Springbok has won five tournament titles since making his debut in Perth in 2024, all of 14 tournaments ago.
On to the USA leg, where the the Blitzboks won the Sevens World Championship last year, in Los Angeles, and according to Brits, the entire squad, and especially the forwards, are ready.
“We know that every scrum and lineout we win, and every breakdown we contest successfully, will give the ball to our backs and then the fun starts.
“I can honestly say all our forwards have the same mindset about doing the donkey work. So, it does not really matter who is on the field, we all have the same goals.”
Blitzboks back injury replacement to shine
Brits, Ryan Oosthuizen and Impi Visser all scored some impressive tries in Vancouver as well.
“Yes, it is always nice to see the forwards getting tries. Impi scored two spectacular ones, and it was very nice to see that he still has it,” Brits recalled with a smile.
They will miss the injured Christie Grobbelaar, but Brits punted 20-year-old Jayden Nell to shine.
“Christie brings a lot of speed to the forwards, but Jayden is the same type of player and I know he will do well,” said Brits.