'VC' Boks go down in Sevens final

The Emerging Springboks Sevens squad - with three Varsity Cup stars in its ranks - went down in the final of the annual Safari Sevens in Kenya at the weekend.

UJ fullback Earl Lewis (pictured) and UCT stars Dane Galley (loose forward) and Marvin Christians (wing) were all part of the SA squad that was defeated by hosts, Kenya, in the final.

After beating a Samoan side 27-22 in their semifinal - which went into sudden-death - the Emerging Boks would have been fairly confident going into the final.

But they came up against a well-drilled and experienced Kenyan side who ran out 40-19 victors in the final, with captain Collins Injera scoring a superb four tries.

The experience, however, would have been a great one - especially for the talented Varsity Cup trio who will be hoping to use this selection as a springboard to bigger and better things and, perhaps, join 2008 Varsity Cup star Kyle Brown in the full SA Sevens squad.

Lewis, in particular, is a big fan of Sevens rugby and surely cannot be far from joining Treu's squad, which is based in Stellenbosch.

In a recent interview on varsitycup.co.za, Lewis said: "I love Sevens because of the space that it gives you to do what you do best...

"My goal is to play a full season on the IRB Sevens circuit, so if it's God's will, then I would love to join Paul Treu's squad again!"

The Emerging Springboks Sevens squad:
Boland: Deon Scholtz
Border: Lwazi Samora Fihlani, Lubabalo Mzwakali
Eastern Province: Marlon Lewis
Free State: Ashley Johnson, Jacobus Jonker
Golden Lions: Earl Lewis (UJ)
Leopards: Wilhelm Koch
Western Province: Ashwill Peters, Marvin Christians (UCT), Dane Galley (UCT), Jacobus Schabort

Management:
Arthur Janson - Coach
Brent Martin - Physiotherapist
Cassiem Jabaar - Team manager