Cape Town — What a journey it’s been for Ronald Brown.
After overcoming Hodgkin's lymphoma, the 2021 South African Sevens player of the year is ready to shine on the World Sevens Series again.
He was a standout in Vancouver and Edmonton, and when the Blitzboks traveled to Dubai for consecutive tournaments last year, he was no less impressive.
When the team left for Spain in January though, Brown was not included, as he had a knee niggle and coach Neil Powell opted to rest the playmaker considering with the packed schedule for the remainder of the 2022 season.
He chose to see the silver lining, and went on to explain that he used that time away from the field to work on his knee.
“I used the time well during the time away from the team,” said Brown.
“First, I had to get the knee right, so that was the big focus for me. And then get fit and able to play, and I am happy to say that it worked out well. It was also a good mental break for me. Now, coming back into the squad, I can just focus on rugby again.
“It remains a massive honour and privilege to be back in the team. There is so much talent in the squad and I am just grateful to be around them. The beauty of our system is that even if you are not in the squad, you stay up to date and everyone keeps you informed. It makes it easy to stay on par with those who are playing and to slot back in when it is your turn.
“The guys did so well, and it makes you work even harder to join the team again,” he smiled.
Sevens heavyweights Fiji and New Zealand return to the circuit this weekend. Brown has never faced the two sides in the World Series, and it is an experience he is looking forward to.
“We all know they bring something different to the tournament and everyone is excited to experience that. They will challenge us in unfamiliar ways that we are used to that, that makes it even more exciting,” he said.
“We will stick to our guns and do what we do. We will face them as a squad and not individuals and that will make the job easier.”
On his experience in Singapore, Brown said: “The conditions are different from those I have experienced in the other tournaments; it is a bit slippery and wet, but all teams will play in the same conditions, so it is not an issue for us. We trained well and I cannot wait to be back on the field.”
The South Africans will go up against Canada in their first game at 6:12 on Saturday, before taking on their fellow Africans, Kenya, at 9:40. Their last game on Day One is against the USA at 13:33, with the play-offs to be contested on Sunday.
IOL Sport