Mfundo Ndhlovu and Sebastiaan Jobb say individual expression must align with team goals as the Blitzboks ‘A’ side steel themselves for a Rugby Africa Sevens challenge on Saturday.

Philip Snyman’s charges face Nigeria, Zambia and Burkina Faso in their Pool B fixtures at Labourdonnais Sports Club in Mauritius.

As they experienced last year, the South Africans will be the biggest fish to fry for the other teams but Ndhlovu – a veteran of 19 SVNS tournaments – said they are ready for all-comers.

“That Springbok badge makes you a target for sure, but that is fine, we know what is coming in that regard,” he said. “You don’t need to overthink that part, if you stick to the plan and implement the processes, the results will look after itself.”

MORE: Tricky Ricky’s SA ‘A’ island trip no picnic

Ndhlovu, who made his Blitzbok debut in 2018, is among a handful of SA ‘A’ players to feature in last year’s event, when it consisted of two tournaments at the same venue.

“On a personal level, I am looking forward to just play rugby in a beautiful country and just enjoy and express myself,” he added.

“Doing so with a Springbok badge on the chest is even better, but it does add responsibility and commitment to the task, because the commitment to the team comes first.”

Ndhlovu is also excited about the new talent in the squad that head coach Snyman had assembled: “They are all talented players, and I can see many of them getting on the circuit and doing well.”

Jobb, named Player of the Tournament last year, added: “The African opponents are going to be a handful, we learned that lesson last year when Uganda outplayed us in both tournaments.”

He also had some advice for the new players in the squad. “They have an ideal opportunity here to learn and grow and I believe they will be embracing that, adding to the team effort,” the 26-year-old concluded.

Springbok Sevens ‘A’ squad:
Masande Mtshali
Jayden Nell
Gideon van Wyk
Ntshika Fisanti
Ricardo Duarttee
Joubert Schoeman
Grant de Jager
Ezekiel Ngobeni
Rowan Malgas
Joel Leotlela
Sebastiaan Jobb
Mfundo Ndhlovu

Springbok Sevens ‘A’ pool fixtures (all Saturday):
8:06am, vs Nigeria
10:50am, vs Zambia
1:34pm, vs Burkina Faso

Pools:
A: Uganda, Kenya, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana
B: South Africa, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Nigeria
C: Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Mauritius

Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images