Two-time Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks star interested in Olympic 7s switch
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Switch.
The 2024 Olympics are set to take place in France next year with a number of high-profile Rugby Union players set to make the switch to the seven-a-side version of the game in order to compete on the grand stage in a bid to win gold.
We’ve already seen former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper make the switch, along with France captain Antoine Dupont who is set to sit out the 2024 Six Nations as he bids for Olympic gold.
Leinster coach Leo Cullen has also opened the door for his Irish players to potentially make the switch and now a back-to-back Rugby World Cup winner has declared his interest, with Springboks fullback Damian Willemse open to representing the Blitzbokke.
Speaking to Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers, and Hanyani Shimange on the Boks Office podcast, the Stormers superstar is very much interested.
“I mean, it’s always on the cards,” Willemse told Boks Office.
I would love to obviously play in the Olympics. You also need training, I think, as Bryan [Habana] said, you need to spend some time, you know, on the field, training with the guys.
“This is a different sport, as I told Jean [de Villier] as well, because what these guys are doing, it’s crazy, it’s epic. And, yeah, I think it’s definitely something that every rugby player and kid dreams of, which is competing in the World Cup or the Olympics and obviously to get a medal would be the cherry on the cake.”
Who else would you like to potentially see make the switch>