Bryan Habana says it won’t be a walk in the park for World Cup stars like Antoine Dupont to get used to the intensity of sevens ahead of the Olympic Games.
France captain Dupont and former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper are among the star names set to switch codes next year to take part in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
SQUAD: Blitzboks add speedy Pretorius
Shifting between the codes is not unusual, with the likes of Kwagga Smith, Cheslin Kolbe and Stormers stalwarts Ruhan Nel and Seabelo Senatla regularly switching at a time in their careers, before focusing exclusively on fifteens.
Former Springbok Habana had two stints with the Blitzboks – in 2004 and 2016 – says it won’t be as easy as many would assume for Dupont to adapt to sevens.
“I think there’s a massive disparity or disconnect between sevens, and 15s at the minute. The reason being is that they’re both extremely professionally run sports,” Habana said, during a HSBC coaching clinic ahead of the Cape Town Sevens.
“A few of us had a crack back in 2016 … the likes of myself, Quade Cooper, Liam Messam, Sonny Bill Williams … Sonny Bill and Liam were the only ones going on to represent their countries at the Olympics.
“Sonny Bill got injured, did his Achilles, and then Liam Messam came in as back-up.”
Habana’s second stint with the Blitzboks came during the final chapter of his career with French giants Toulon, as he wanted to play at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. However, it didn’t work out, as Habana did not make the squad that traveled to Rio de Janeiro.
The 2007 World Cup winner warned that Dupont and Hooper will need time to properly adapt before the upcoming Olympics, especially as this season’s Sevens Series has been cut down to eight tournaments.
“When I tried in 2016, the disparity of [trying] to fit sevens in a 15s schedule was almost impossible,” Habana admitted.
“Toulon released me for two tournaments but even that was very difficult at the best of times.
In my opinion, you probably need at least four tournaments to really get an understanding.
“And with a shortened format, in terms of the number of tournaments throughout the course of the year, the Olympics being at the end of July, beginning of August, it doesn’t allow for a lot of preparation.”
Photo: Mike Lee – KLC photos for World Rugby