Blitzbok forward David Brits happy to do the hard yards up front

Blitzbok forward David Brits during the semi-final between South Africa and Australia on day 2 of the Sevens series in Vancouver. Picture: David Van Der Sandt/Gallo Images Blitzboks rising star David Brits said it might look less glamorous to the regular Sevens fan, but winning a set-piece battle that leads to a try is just as rewarding as scoring the try itself. The forward was preparing for the Sevens New York tournament this week, again happy to do the donkey work instead of being the racehorse.

The tournament is the last in the regular season, with the Blitzboks tied with Fiji tied on log points after the South Africanswon in Vancouverlast weekend. “The forwards really don’t mind doing the hard yards up front,” the 28-year-old explained. “We have such talented backs and we know that when we provide them with decent possession, they will make magic out wide.” Ironically, as an outside back in XVs, Brits has scored his fair share of tries, and he held the Currie Cup aloft with the Cheetahs.

“It took me a while to find my feet in Sevens, it is such a tricky game and I am still learning,” said Brits. “For now, it is going well and I am truly grateful for that. The fact that I have played in all the tournaments this far also got me into the flow of things and I am really enjoying it.” The former Junior Springbok has won five tournament titles since making his debut in Perth in 2024, all of 14 tournaments ago.

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On to the USA leg, where the the Blitzbokswon the Sevens World Championshiplast year, in Los Angeles, and according to Brits, the entire squad, and especially the forwards, are ready. “We know that every scrum and lineout we win, and every breakdown we contest successfully, will give the ball to our backs and then the fun starts. “I can honestly say all our forwards have the same mindset about doing the donkey work. So, it does not really matter who is on the field, we all have the same goals.”

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