Muller du Plessis says he wants to contribute to a reversal in the Blitzboks’ fortunes at this weekend’s Vancouver Sevens.
Du Plessis, who made his Blitzboks debut in Las Vegas in 2018, also played in Vancouver, Hong Kong and Singapore before being called into the Junior Springboks team.
That call-up meant he missed a chance to be a part of the tournament win in Paris, where the Blitzboks clinched the World Rugby Sevens Series title for a second time in succession.
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It has been more of a frustrating 2019 for the 19-year-old, who started the season promisingly, but picked up an injury in Cape Town last December that ruled him out of the Australasian tour.
Now fit again, Du Plessis started the North American trip to Las Vegas as an official reserve, and on Sunday he replaced Mfundo Ndhlovu in the fifth-place semi-final loss against Fiji.
Du Plessis says that having missed out on the celebrations in 2018, he is keen to get to the top of the podium with the Springbok Sevens team.
‘There are many reasons why I wanted to play for the Blitzboks from a young age, one of which is the winning mentality and winning culture,’ Du Plessis said. ‘Nothing has changed, although I am yet to experience that winning feeling. It can change this weekend, who knows.
‘It was frustrating to pick up an injury in Cape Town at the end of last year and miss the next two tournaments, but things happen for a reason.
‘I worked hard during rehab and I am now looking forward to help contribute to the Blitzboks’ cause again. I want to thank the medical team of the Blitzboks, who helped me back to fitness, and by contributing in a big way this weekend, will be a way of thanking them for an often thankless task.’
The young flyer feels the team can bounce back from a disappointing performance in the series to date.
‘We need to eliminate small errors. If we stick to our fundamentals and execute them properly, we will be competitive, that has been proved over and over in recent seasons.’
Photo: @Blitzboks/Twitter
