Man on a Sevens mission - Paul Delport
With the elevation of Rugby Sevens to Olympic status and the booming IRB Sevens circuit continuing to grow in stature, an expansion of the national Sevens player pool is always on the agenda.
The starting blocks to a successful Sevens career remains in the 15-man code, but already at the various age-group tournaments around the country, like the Coca-Cola Craven Week, players are being sourced and identified as potential future Blitzbokke stars.
Springbok Sevens veteran Paul Delport is one such player who retired in 2014 following a run of injuries and after an 11-year career as a player, has now thrown his energy into coaching young sevens prospects at the SA Rugby National Sevens Academy in Stellenbosch.
He enjoyed an accomplished career in both the 15 and seven-man codes and played at top level in both formats. He only made a decision to switch to sevens in 2008.
The National Academy is now the feeder for the national sevens side, the Blitzbokke, who campaign very successfully on the IRB International circuit.
It is also the grooming ground for the SA Under-18 Sevens team, a side which emulated their senior Springbok Sevens counterparts in September last year by winning gold at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa. The Blitzbokke 'B' team is also an integral part of the Academy.
The Under-18's are managed by another former Blitzbokke star, Marius Schoeman and together with Delport, the pair are on a scouting mission at the 53rd Coca Cola Craven Week at Kearsney College in KwaZulu-Natal.
Trevor Cramer, who is covering the Coca-Cola Craven Week for Jacaranda FM, caught up with Delport and chatted to him...