Bok wing in line for comeback

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Springbok flyer Travis Ismaiel has grabbed a lifeline to revive his career with the Blitzboks in the upcoming World Sevens Series tournaments.

Ismaiel retired from rugby at the start of 2021 due to a chronic shoulder injury, after a journeyman career which included one Test, a spell at the Vodacom Bulls and a season with Harlequins in the English Premiership.

But, the 29-year-old wanted a way back in, and it came via a call came from SA Rugby’s high-performance manager for sevens, Marius Schoeman, who invited him to come train with the Blitzboks at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport.

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“This will indeed be a comeback of sorts,” said Ismaiel, now a regular at the base of operations for the Springbok Sevens in Stellenbosch. “I have not played for almost two years. It is a long time out of the game.

“The medical advice I was given made it clear that I was not going to be fit enough again to continue with my career,” he said. “I accepted that and decided to give it all up. I had a good run in the game and was happy to leave the Bulls and relocate back to Cape Town.

“I was resigned to the fact that I will not play rugby again, but I wanted to stay fit and keep busy, so I continued to train, doing athletics and later CrossFit, in order to build up strength in my shoulder again.”

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Schoeman added: “He came with a clear understanding that there will be no guarantees and he accepted that.

“Travis is a class player, a Springbok, and brought with him a lot of experience and professionalism, which was good for the squad, especially amongst the younger group.

“He is now in line to play in the Dubai Invitational with our SA Sevens ‘A’ squad and he could be a contender to the remainder of the World Rugby Sevens Series.”

Photo: Twitter/@Blitzboks

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Devin Hermanus