Ismaiel set to complete rare hat-trick with Blitzboks debut in LA

Bulls winger Travis Ismaiel will make his Blitzboks debut at the Los Angeles Sevens next weekend.

Springbok Sevens coach Sandile Ngcobo named his squad that will contest the North American leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series in USA and Canada later this month. 

Blitzboks captain Siviwe Soyizwapi, who suffered a shoulder injury in Sydney, came through the final training session unscathed and will again lead the team.

Ismaiel, who played for the Junior Springboks and Springboks earlier in his career, is set to complete a national team trifecta.

The 30-year-old, who played one Test for Springboks in 2018, will complete a rare hat-trick and is one of three changes to last month's Blitzboks side which finished runners-up at the Sydney Sevens.

Ngcobo also included Ronald Brown and Mfundo Ndhlovu. Darren Adonis, Dalvon Blood and Shaun Williams are out injured.

Ngcobo welcomed the inclusion of the experienced Ismaiel marking his return to competitive rugby.

"Travis worked very hard to come back from what seemed to be a career-ending shoulder injury and all of the rugby fraternity should be very pleased about this good news story," said Ngcobo. 

"I expect him to make a real impact in Los Angeles and credit to our High Performance Manager, Marius Schoeman, who made a brave decision to bring Travis into our set-up when he had nowhere else to go."

The Blitzboks will look to consolidate their top four spot in the World Series, with the return of Brown and Ndhlovu coming at the perfect time.

"Ronald and Mfundo bounced back well after their disappointments in Hong Kong and they return at the right time, as we lost Selvyn Davids and Darren Adonis on the last trip, and Shaun during the week," said Ngcobo.

"Both are World Series winners, and we