South Africa will be looking to home-town favorite Kabamba Floors to fire up their Sevens team when the second leg of the world Sevens series is played in George this weekend.
Capped once for the XV-man Springboks, Floors has been a hit on the Sevens circuit and his teammates will be hoping he can again provide the magic which saw the hosts through to the final last year.
New Zealand, however, beat the 'Boks on that occasion, but with the added motivation of a first home triumph at stake, coach Paul Treu's men may just go one better than a year ago.
But while there will be plenty of support for Treu's men, there will also be the added pressure to perform on home soil.
Treu said he was hoping the pressure could be turned into a positive rather than it being a negative factor over the two days.
"There's a lot of excitement in the squad about playing at home," Treu said. "There may be pressure on us, but I think the guys will be able to handle it and put up a good performance."
Floors is a late inclusion in the team following the injury incurred by Mzwandile Stick in Dubai, while veteran Sevens star Marius Schoeman comes in for the suspended Jonathan Mokuena.
The South African team is a good blend of youth and experience, but they will certainly miss Stick and Mokuena.
In their absence, try-scoring machine Fabian Juries will carry plenty of responsibility to keep the hosts ahead of their opponents.
New Zealand though remain the firm favorites, especially after coming out on top in the opening tournament in Dubai last week, after beating Fiji 31-21. They knocked the South Africans out in the semi-finals.
But anyone who writes off the islanders -- Fiji and Samoa -- do so at their own peril. They're the masters of the Sevens game, while England will also be looking to make an impression.
A win for South Africa would cap a remarkable year for the host nation.
Tomorrow will see all the teams participating in a set of round robin matches, while on Saturday the teams will go through to compete in various knock-out competitions.
The 16 competing teams tomorrow and Saturday at Outeniqua Park are South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, England, France, Argentina, Canada, Fiji, Kenya, Samoa Scotland, Tunisia, Uganda, the US, Wales and Zimbabwe.
■ Henson faces censure
AFP,CARDIFF
Wales center Gavin Henson is set to face internal disciplinary action after being questioned by police regarding drunken behavior on a train.
Henson, 25, was one of four men spoken to by British Transport Police after passengers complained about the group's rowdy behavior on a train from London to Cardiff.
The incident took place a few hours after Henson scored all of the Ospreys' points in a 19-8 Anglo-Welsh Cup win away to Harlequins.
Henson, who recently returned to Wales duty after being left out of his country's World Cup squad, could now face further police questioning.
Kevin Hopkins, director of rugby at Welsh regional side Ospreys, said on Tuesday: "This is something we are looking into and it will be dealt with internally."
The club earlier issued a statement apologizing on Henson's behalf for the incident which said: "After playing a crucial part in what proved to be a particularly satisfying victory for the Ospreys on Sunday afternoon, Gavin made the return journey from London via train with friends who had attended the match in support of the Ospreys."
"Spirits were high amongst the group given the nature of the victory, and the group apologizes for any inconvenience caused to fellow passengers," the statement said.
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