Category Archives: Sports News

Sport24.co.za | Boucher pleased with Proteas progress

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Centurion – Proteas coach Mark Boucher is satisfied with the progress made since the team began preparation for the Test series against England starting at SuperSport Park next week.

Speaking to members of the media on Friday, the former Proteas wicketkeeper expressed his pride in the hard work that the players and management have put in to be game ready come December 26. 

“It’s been very good so far,” he commented. “We’ve pushed the guys a bit. We talked about being open to a few changes and the guys are really keen to try turn things around. They came in with a good attitude, we’ve had some good chats that have been very focussed on this Test series. I’m pretty happy with where we are, there’s still a bit of work to be done, building up into the Test match but I’m happy with where we are at the moment.” 

Boucher, who represented South Africa in 147 Tests between 1997 and 2012, attributes the players’ confidence to good preparation building up to a tour and said his coaching staff was working hard to ensure that the players are prepared for all eventualities.  

“I think the confidence comes from the preparation. It’s almost like preparing for an exam; if you prepare for an exam properly, you’ll walk into that exam and you’ll feel confident going into it. We’re trying to get that confidence back. We’re making sure that we’re testing the guys in areas that they’ve probably not been tested in before,” he continued. 

When asked about South Africa’s position at the bottom of the log in the ICC World Test Championship, Boucher said: “I’m not even thinking about the Test Championship at the moment. I think that if we focus on what is important now, and giving guys good direction about where we want to go in the first Test match, the rest will take care of itself.  

“The one thing that we want to instil is a good work ethic and good intensity at training, once we do that, we can take it into the middle and ultimately get the results. One thing I know about South Africans is they are resilient and they’ve got that bounce-back-ability and for me it’s how to try to get that bounce-back-ability into the heads of the players as soon as possible and realise that in one session, things can change.” 

Boucher boasts a coaching support staff full of experience with Enoch Nkwe, Jacques Kallis, Justin Ontong and Charl Langeveldt assisting him for the summer series and (in most cases) beyond.

Paul Harris has also joined the team for the duration of the pre-series camp to continue in his mentorship role of Keshav Maharaj.

Boucher is determined to tap into each coach’s knowledge and skill to help take the team forward. “It’s a nice set up, there’s plenty of experience but I think nowadays it’s not only about the experience, it’s about the different angles that you can look at the game from,” he explained.

“Langes (Langeveldt) coming back into the system again, he’s been here before and he’s got a good relationship with the players. Having a guy like, he’s our most capped Test player and probably the greatest cricketer that’s ever lived, that’s invaluable experience. Even Paul Harris working with Keshav who he’s mentored for a while to get Kesh’s confidence back. Enoch has put structures in place which I’d be stupid to change because I do believe in the structures that he’s put in. He’s also been a mentor to so many of those players in the dressing room.  

“For me it’s about trying to add value where I can. Hopefully I can get into a situation where I can earn the players’ trust over the next short while and they’ll have that confidence to come and chat to me. At the moment they might have the confidence to chat to other people about certain issues so I’d be stupid to be that guy who comes and tries to change everything so quickly. I’m not going to be that person. I think there’s enough experience in that dressing room at the moment and enough relationships that are strong in order for us to go in the right direction,” he concluded.

Proteas Test squad:

Faf du Plessis (Titans, captain), Temba Bavuma (Lions), Quinton de Kock (Titans), Dean Elgar (Titans), Beuran Hendricks (Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Dolphins), Pieter Malan (Cape Cobras), Aiden Markram (Titans), Zubayr Hamza (Cape Cobras), Anrich Nortje (Warriors), Dane Paterson (Cape Cobras), Andile Phehlukwayo (Dolphins), Vernon Philander (Cape Cobras), Dwaine Pretorius (Lions), Kagiso Rabada (Lions), Rudi Second (Warriors), Rassie van der Dussen (Lions)

Management:

Mark Boucher (head coach), Enoch Nkwe (assistant coach), Khomotso Masubelele (team manager), Justin Ontong (fielding coach), Tumi Masekela (strength and conditioning coach), Craig Govender (physiotherapist), Prasanna Agoram (performance analyst), Sipokazi Sokanyile (media manager), Zunaid Wadee (security manager), Jacques Kallis (batting consultant), Charl Langeveldt (bowling consultant)

– Cricket SA

Sport24.co.za | Rabada hails involvement of Kallis, Boucher

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Centurion – South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada on Thursday gave a ringing endorsement of the new coaching structure around the national team.

“It’s amazing to have someone like Jacques Kallis in,” Rabada said of South Africa’s new batting consultant and the country’s most-capped Test player. “I’ve never worked with him, he’s a great of the game. So is (new head coach) Mark Boucher.”

Rabada said the experience of Kallis and Boucher, with a combined 313 Test caps, would be invaluable for the Proteas.

“Just to hear their knowledge… it doesn’t even have to be skill-based, just mentally how you want to approach certain situations. It’s great to have them around. They speed up the learning process.”

At the age of 24, Rabada will have to play a key role for South Africa in a fast bowling attack hit by the retirements of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, injury to Lungi Ngidi and the decision of Duanne Olivier to commit to a Kolpak contract with Yorkshire in England.

A recently-leaked report into South Africa’s poor performance at the Cricket World Cup in England earlier this year pinpointed Rabada’s heavy workload – exacerbated by Cricket South Africa’s insistence on racial transformation – as being a factor in the fast bowler failing to make a major impact at the tournament.

Rabada did not mention his workload in a brief interview during a break in the national squad’s first full day of training on Thursday but said he was enjoying “putting in the hard yards.”

He also praised the return of Charl Langeveldt as bowling coach. “I really enjoy working with him. He’s in the same light as Mark and Jacques. They know what they are talking about. They’ve been playing at this level for a very long time. Everything is well-drilled and well-oiled. There’s no hesitation, they have a plan and they’re really decisive.”

Rabada said he was glad that Enoch Nkwe, who was briefly South Africa’s first black African national coach when he took the side to India earlier this season as interim team director, had decided to accept a position as assistant coach to Boucher.

“Enoch is someone I’ve worked with since age group level, so have other guys like Quinny (De Kock) and Temba (Bavuma),” said Rabada. “The guys who have worked with him know his quality. He’s a valuable person to have in the change room.

“He would have had to make a decision whether he was going to walk away or stay. I’m really glad he stayed because I have a relationship with him and so do a lot of the young players who are in the one-day and T20 formats. He’s made a decision to invest in the team… hopefully we can reap our rewards.”

Sport24.co.za | Beast decides on next career move, heads to USA

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2019-12-18 20:07

Cape Town – World Cup winning prop, Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira has revealed the next step in his illustrious career as he joins Old Glory DC, a team based in Washington and set to contest the Major Rugby League (MRL) in the United States in 2021.

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According to The Guardian, Mtawarira has signed a one-year deal with the club.

The third most capped Springbok of all time, Mtawarira played 117 times for South Africa, making his debut in 2008.

A stalwart at the Sharks, Mtawarira took to Facebook to announce his new club.

“Delighted to confirm that I’ve signed with Major League Rugby’s Old Glory DC!! 

I’m excited and look forward to joining my new teammates and adding value to my new franchise both on and off the field. I believe this opportunity will allow me to mentor the rugby youth in D.C and help (in my small way) to grow the game in America.

I’d like to thank the owners Paul Sheehy and Chris Dunlavey, Coach Andrew and the whole Old Glory D.C organization for making this process easy for my family and I. #GloryAwaits Kyros Sports“

Mtawarira follows a host of ex-internationals who play in MRL including former England fullback Ben Foden and French centre Matthieu Bastareaud (Rugby United New York), former All Blacks Ma’a Nonu (San Diego Legion) and Rene Ranger (Colorado Raptors), Argentinian Juan Manuel Leguizamó (Seattle Seawolves) and Australian Digby Ioane (Colorado Raptors).

The league was established in 2018 with the Seattle Seawolves claiming the championship for the first two years. 

Sport24.co.za | 8 Springboks commit to WP Rugby

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2019-12-17 15:00

Cape Town – World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi is one of eight Springboks who have signed contract extensions with Western Province Rugby and will play for the Stormers in 2020 and beyond.

World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit, Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi, Scarra Ntubeni, Frans Malherbe, Damian Willemse and Dillyn Leyds have all joined Kolisi and a host of other talented players in committing to the Stormers until 2021.

These Springboks will form the core of a competitive Stormers squad going forward, along with the likes of Junior Springbok captains Salmaan Moerat and Ernst van Rhyn, who have also signed extensions.

Props Kwenzo Blose, Leon Lyons and Neethling Fouche, locks JD Schickerling and Chris van Zyl, loose forwards Juarno Augustus, Ben-Jason Dixon, Johan du Toit and Nama Xaba and backs Sergeal Petersen, Edwill van der Merwe, Dan du Plessis, Jean-Luc du Plessis and Sihle Njezula have all signed new contracts with Western Province Rugby.

These extensions further strengthen the Stormers’ playing stocks, with players such as
Springboks Herschel Jantjies and Wilco Louw still under current contracts, along with players such as Cobus Wiese, Jaco Coetzee and Ruhan Nel.

Stormers head coach John Dobson said that he is looking forward to building a competitive squad around these key signings.

“Players like Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi, Scarra Ntubeni, Dillyn Leyds, Damian Willemse and Frans Malherbe are part of the fabric of Stormers rugby, so it is fantastic to know that they will all be around to add value to our team environment in the next two years,” Dobson told the Stormers’ official website.

“We know what these players offer on and off the field, the challenge now is to get the most out of their considerable talents.”

Kolisi said that by keeping the core of the squad together, the Stormers have a great opportunity to achieve something special next season.

“I have been playing with some of these guys my whole career and we are all looking forward to reaching new heights in a Stormers jersey. We have a strong group of senior players and talented youngsters coming through all the time, which is what we need to reach our goal of rewarding the Faithful for their incredible support.

“I know it has been a tough few years for us and our faithful, we really appreciate them for sticking with us and hopefully we will have plenty to celebrate in the future,” he said.

Western Province Rugby Group CEO Paul Zacks said that given the strength of the players contracted, the future looks bright for the Stormers.

“While the introduction of the new contracting model, salary caps and the number of senior players that we can contract has made it a challenging process, I am most pleased to confirm that we have managed to retain the majority of our senior players for 2020 and beyond.

“It is encouraging to see how many top players have bought into our vision for the future and we look forward to seeing them help develop some of the outstanding young talent we have coming through the ranks in the years to come,” he said.

Sport24.co.za | CSA: The fall that’s been so fast and so far

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Cape Town – The pace and violence of Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) descent into widespread levels of chaos has been as remarkable as the phenomenon itself.

Perhaps, for purposes of demonstration, resorting to the cricket calendar is the most educative yardstick: England are already in the warm-up phase of a major tour of our shores – the opening match against the Proteas is the first Test at Centurion from Boxing Day – and the domestic backdrop is enormously different to when they last had a safari here, in 2015/16.

Mostly for all the wrong reasons.

When vastly experienced (domestically and internationally) administrator, chartered accountant, former SACB first-class player and then-CEO Haroon Lorgat presented his CSA annual statement for 2015/16, he wrote bullishly at the time: “We experienced another stellar financial performance during the period under review, with our actual revenue exceeding budget by some margin (2016: actual R825m, budget R620m; 2015: actual R761m, budget R511m).

“We were also flattered by the renewal of all our major commercial sponsorships plus a new four-year flagship deal with Standard Bank South Africa … they are now the Proteas’ title sponsor across all three formats of the game.”

Whisk to the present, and CSA’s financial conundrum, by stark contrast, is extremely well-documented … a situation only compounded a few days ago by Standard Bank announcing their quitting of the Proteas sponsorship after the current season, following a sequence of debilitating flashpoints in the corridors of power which culminated in the suspension earlier this month of Lorgat’s successor as CEO in late 2017, Thabang Moroe.

While Lorgat was able to trumpet the firmly “on board” status of various other vital sponsors four years back, a glaring feature of the Moroe administration has been its inability to boast commercial backing for the lion’s share of major franchise competitions and even the supposed new “international-flavoured” but currently loss-making Mzansi Super League.

Back in 2015/16, the now merely “CSA 4-Day Franchise Series” was still the Sunfoil Series, and the then still active franchise T20 competition (abolished now after being run as the CSA T20 Challenge before falling victim to austerity measures this summer) was sponsored by Ram Slam.

Only the Momentum One-Day Cup maintains a common title between 2015/16 and the present.

But the national team set-up was also infinitely more clear-cut when it came to occupation of important, clear-cut portfolios.

There was a full-time head coach then in Russell Domingo – roughly in the middle of his four-year tenure – as opposed to the confusing situation just a few days ago of an interim director of cricket (Graeme Smith, just signed, albeit for only three months) overseeing an interim team director in Enoch Nkwe (now effectively slipping a notch to assistant coach, after one series, with the appointment of Mark Boucher to 2023 as head coach … at least a decisive step).

Nor were the national selection berths vacant, as they had been more recently for several months: at the time, Linda Zondi (welcomed back on board on Saturday) then headed up a panel also comprising Hussain Manack, Domingo and two former national players in Ashwell Prince and Errol Stewart.

Just a handful of months onward from the English visit of 2015/16, South Africa played in a one-day international Tri-Series in the Caribbean (also featuring West Indies and Australia) … and a landmark event occurred that would, arguably, make a significant mockery of at least part of the campaign to oust the streetwise Lorgat as CEO in 2017.

Later to be branded “anti-transformational” by an increasingly strident, ambitious black African lobby within the CSA corridors, Lorgat was proudly able to trumpet, in early June 2016, a national team fielding an unprecedented eight players of colour.

Not only that, but the combination – which saw appearances for all of Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi and an emerging pace sensation in Kagiso Rabada – whipped the Aussies by 47 runs in Providence, Guyana.

Mere lip-service to transformation under Lorgat’s watch? Hardly, it seemed crystal clear.

Remember, too, a rich irony at the time: CSA were among several domestic sports administrative bodies being forbidden, by then Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula (now Minister of Transport, mind), from bidding for international-event hosting because of what he perceived to be a sluggish pace of transformation.

If you wished to deepen that sense of irony further, you could run the rule over the last Proteas team to play a one-day international, under the CSA charge of a pre-suspension Moroe: in the last match of their ill-fated 2019 World Cup on July 6, a consolation, narrow triumph over Australia at Old Trafford, South Africa fielded an XI dominated by white players.

Any perceptive, visiting English enthusiast (there are always plenty of them) to South Africa for the looming series, interested in more than just on-field fortunes between the two countries, might well scratch his or her head over just how comprehensively cricket administration here has lost its lustre and competency in the space of the four years between tours.

Somewhere, Haroon Lorgat (far from faultless, yet reputationally the skipper of tight ships) might be looking into a non-alcoholic beverage and pondering recent life with some sense of bewilderment as well …

*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing …

Sport24.co.za | Blitzboks make it 3 from 3 at Cape Town Sevens

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Cape Town – The Springbok Sevens team continued their good form at the Cape Town Sevens by finishing top of Pool A on Saturday, beating Fiji by 26-14 and USA by 21-15 after a 49-0 demolition of Japan on Friday.

The Blitzboks will now meet African compatriots Kenya in the Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, with the Cape Town Stadium sold out for the final day.

The South Africans came from behind (14-0) against Fiji and then struck early against USA to secure an undefeated status (match reports and scorers here), but Neil Powell (coach) warned that they could come crashing down if they are not on song against the Kenyans.

“They are a big, strong and physical team and will play that way against us,” Powell predicted.

“They will also have a lot of confidence because they finished top of their pool.”

The Blitzboks edged Kenya by 17-12 in Dubai last weekend, but Powell was worried about the number of yellow cards and penalties his team conceded.

Seabelo Senatla was sin-binned against Fiji and the USA, and Chris Dry also received his marching orders against USA. On Friday, Rosko Specman also spent two minutes in the bin.

“We are not happy with the yellow cards and the amount of penalties we conceded, as we’re a team that strive for zero cards and penalties, and to concede this many is a bit worrying,” the coach said.

“We will have a serious look at our discipline because we cannot afford to go into the knock-out stages and make those same mistakes again.”

Powell was nonetheless pleased with the defensive effort from his side: “The squad is maturing nicely in that regard and the players are showing a good understanding of their roles in the defensive system. They really work hard for each other.”

Justin Geduld, who scored a try against Fiji and three conversions against USA, moved past 1000 career points for South Africa, but the playmaker was not keen to claim any credit.

“It is a team sport,” said Geduld.

“It is great to hear I have scored those points, but that is mainly thanks to my team mates.”

Geduld also didn’t want to read too much into the Blitzboks’ undefeated status: “We played well against Fiji, but not that well against USA, so we need to have a hard look at where things went wrong. It will not be good enough if we make the same mistakes against Kenya.”

The Cup quarter-finals are:

11:18: South Africa v Kenya

11:40: France v Argentina

12:02: Ireland v Fiji

12:24: New Zealand v Scotland

Sport24.co.za | Blitzboks crush Japan in Cape Town Sevens opener

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Cape Town – The Springbok Sevens side got their Cape Town Sevens campaign off to a flying start with a comprehensive victory over Japan at Cape Town Stadium on Friday night.

MATCH CENTRE: CAPE TOWN SEVENS

The Blitzboks ran in seven tries to win 49-0, having led 21-0 at half-time.

South Africa lost speedster Rosko Specman to a yellow card early in the first half, but the numerical disadvantage did not affect the hosts as they overwhelmed their opponents from the Far East.

Speedsters Seabelo Senatla and Kurt-Lee Arendse both bagged a brace of tries, with JC Pretorius, Selvyn Davids and Ruhan Nel also dotting down.

Goal-kickers Justin Geduld and Specman were impeccable in slotting all seven conversions.

On Saturday, the Blitzboks will face Fiji (13:51) and the USA (20:03) – two tough games that will determine who will advance from Pool A.

Fiji beat the USA 28-14 earlier on Friday.

Scorers:

South Africa

Tries: Seabelo Senatla (2), Kurt-Lee Arendse (2), JC Pretorius, Selvyn Davids, Ruhan Nel

Conversions: Justin Geduld (4), Specman (3)

Blitzboks squad for Cape Town Sevens:

1. Chris Dry (69 tournaments, 348 matches; 480 points, 96 tries)

2. Ryan Oosthuizen (18 tournaments, 89 matches; 95 points, 19 tries)

3. Dylan Sage (25 tournaments, 140 matches; 155 points, 31 tries)

4. Zain Davids (19 tournaments, 94 matches; 65 points, 13 tries)

5. JC Pretorius (six tournaments, 33 matches; 60 points; 12 tries)

6. Siviwe Soyizwapi (captain; 29 tournaments, 151 matches; 460 points, 92 tries)

7. Selvyn Davids (15 tournaments, 75 matches; 319 points; 32 tries, 78 conversions, 1 penalty)

8. Rosko Specman (29 tournaments, 156 matches; 400 points; 74 tries, 15 conversions)

9. Justin Geduld (47 tournaments, 245 matches; 978 points; 107 tries, 220 conversions, 1 penalty)

10. Kurt-Lee Arendse (five tournaments, 22 matches; 45 points, nine tries)

11. Seabelo Senatla (40 tournaments, 207 matches; 1135 points, 227 tries)

12. Ruhan Nel (29 tournaments, 153 matches; 252 points; 50 tries, 1 conversion)

13. Impi Visser (10 tournaments, 55 matches, 65 points, 13 tries) – official reserve

Sport24.co.za | Momentum issue ultimatum to remain as CSA sponsor

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Cape Town – Sponsors Momentum will remain with Cricket South Africa (CSA), but have issued the country’s cricket board with an ultimatum.

Momentum currently sponsor one-day cricket in South Africa, including the Proteas’ One-Day Internationals and the domestic One-Day Cup.

They also sponsor the Momentum National Club Championship and the official Momentum schools weeks for the U13, U15 and U17 age groups.

CSA has been the spotlight over the last few weeks with their ongoing boardroom woes, which has seen suspension of former CEO Thabang Moroe.

Last week Standard Bank, who are title sponsors of the men’s national Test and ODI side confirmed that will not renew their deal when their contract expires in April next year.

Momentum released a press release on Thursday stating that they were concerned by the “negative impact of CSA’s actions”.

Head of sponsorships at Momentum, Carel Bosman, confirmed that they had talks with various CSA heads including new acting CEO Jacques Faul.

“We’ve had various conversations with cricket leadership, including the acting CEO, Jacques Faul, as well as Kugandrie Govender (Head: Commercial, CSA). We have outlined very specific governance and reputational requirements that CSA has to deliver on in order to restore confidence in the administrating body of South African cricket,” said Bosman.

“We will be holding the CSA board accountable to get its house in order. Failing such remedy, Momentum will have to reconsider its sponsorship agreement at the end of the current season.”

Last week, CSA president Chris Nenzani confirmed that the entire board will remain and will “hope to turn CSA around”.

Calls for the entire board to be removed have been expressed by the Central Gauteng Lions Cricket Board, the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) and now by Momentum.

Deputy CEO of Momentum Metropolitan, Jeanette Marais, included their requirements that CSA need to address “without delay and complete them by the end of this current season” (April 30, 2020):

– Resignation of the current Board of CSA (alternatively resignation of the current president and vice-president) in order to address the leadership crisis at CSA;

– An independent forensic audit of the financial affairs of CSA, including management of expense accounts;

– A four-year going concern assessment to be conducted by independent auditors;

– Appointment of a lead independent director to the CSA Board with relevant experience;

– Appointment of an independent director to the CSA Board with on-field cricket experience; and

– Active engagement with SACA with a view to positively resolving outstanding issues of dispute (given that they are a critical stakeholder in the game)

Momentum ended their press release by hoping “CSA will act decisively and with transparency so that cricket in South Africa can move forward”.

– Compiled by Lynn Butler

Sport24.co.za | Specman can be a 15-a-side Bok – Stonehouse

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Cape Town – Springbok Sevens speedster Rosko Specman should set his sights on making the 15-a-side Springbok team.

That is the view of Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse, who coached Specman when he played on the wing for the Mpumalanga outfit between 2013 and 2015.

“His work ethic and positive attitude is something that caught my eye back then. People say he is maybe too small (at 1.76m), but look at Cheslin Kolbe (1.71m). People like saying that small players are supposedly not capable of tackling big players like the All Blacks,” Stonehouse said in an interview with Netwerk24.

Stonehouse also used scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies (1.67m) as an example of a small player who has excelled for the Springboks.

“He is probably one of the smallest scrumhalves the Springboks have ever had. So, it’s a perception that exists,” Stonehouse added.

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Specman was on fire for the Blitzboks in the season-opening Dubai Sevens last week, scoring four tries in the tournament as South Africa beat New Zealand 15-0 to win the title.

The 30-year-old was named Player of the Final against the All Blacks Sevens and also made the Dream Team named by organisers.

He will again feature for the Blitzboks at this weekend’s Cape Town Sevens before returning to the Bulls as they prepare for the 2020 Super Rugby campaign.

Specman also featured in Super Rugby for the Bulls during the 2019 season.

READ: Blitzboks in ‘Pool of Death’ at Cape Town Sevens

– Compiled by Herman Mostert

Sport24.co.za | Dayimani excited to join Blitzboks tournament squad

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Cape Town – Hacjivah Dayimani plans well for most things in life, so it was not that unexpected when his phone rang and he received the message to join the Blitzbok squad for the HSBC Cape Town Sevens, but when it became reality, the Lions looseforward went blank.

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“I was so excited when I saw that, I actually became nervous and for a second did not know what to do. I said to myself, what now, where now,” a beaming Dayimani said after he joined the squad at their Cape Town hotel.

“I am so excited now and can’t wait to get to the training field.”

Dayimani made his senior sevens debut in Dubai last weekend, where he helped the SA Rugby Sevens Academy to clinch the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens International Invitational tournament, scoring tries in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of the event.

“Dubai was a great tester for me, it being my first tournament at this level,” said Dayimani.

“I had some great opportunities to learn as there were different scenarios in every game and that helped me a lot and will continue to help me with future tournaments coming up.”

He appreciated the game time: “I needed that. One needs to play sevens to understand the game better and I am definitely feeling better after last weekend.”

Blitzbok coach Neil Powell also appreciated the game time the flying forward got in Dubai.

“Hacjivah had to recover from an ankle injury when he joined us and that delayed his integration into playing time on the field,” said Powell.

“We are hoping to have him around for the Australasian leg of the World Series, but there are no guarantees with that, so we were keen to give him a chance. In Dubai, he was guaranteed lots of playing time with the Academy side, so we decided to name him in that squad.”

Powell will finalise his 12-man tournament squad on Thursday.