Key players leave South African 7s team for 15s

Three key players for the South African 7s team will not be playing in the third round of the HSBC World 7s Series in Hamilton next month.

Muller du Plessis, JC Pretorius and Sako Makata, who were part of South Africa's Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning team, have cut their connections with sevens to pursue careers in the 15-man game.

Du Plessis has played in 22 World Series tournaments since 2018, appeared in 102 games and two World Series titles, will be joining the Sharks.

Pretorius has played in 23 series, scored 50 tries and played 122 games.

He was included in the World Rugby Series Dream Team in 2021 and has signed with the Lions.

Makata played in 17 World Series and scored 12 tries. He will play 15s for Griquas.

Meanwhile, the Hamilton 7s will be held on the 21st and 22nd January, 2023.