Swinging doors for Blitzboks: Quewin Nortje in, Gino Cupido out for Hong Kong
RUGBY
A major boost for the Blitzboks in the Hong Kong Sevens campaign comes in the form of Quewin Nortje’s return. The 23-year-old flyer has yet to feature this season after an injury-disrupted campaign, but his record of 32 tries in 12 tournaments underlines his attacking threat.
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Springbok Sevens flyer Quewin Nortje will make his 2026 debut next weekend at the HSBC World Championship in Hong Kong, returning to the squad at the expense of fellow speedster Gino Cupido, who has also struggled with injuries this season.
The move marks a classic “swinging doors” moment for the Blitzboks: one player sidelined by misfortune, another ready to seize the opportunity. Nortje, sidelined for the entire regular series, returns with 32 tries from 12 tournaments and the pace to ignite a Blitzboks attack chasing their first Hong Kong title at Kai Tak Sports Park.
His last outing came at the inaugural World Championship stop in Los Angeles in May last year, where the Blitzboks lifted the title under the single-tournament format.
Nortje's inclusion is one of three changes to the squad that dominated the HSBC SVNS World Series, winning four of six tournaments – including both legs of the North American swing, in Montreal and New York – that took them to the regular season title. Their reward is immunity from relegation in the revised 12-team World Championship.
Christie Grobbelaar, Dewald Human, and the luckless Cupido were ruled out with injuries sustained in Canada and the US, paving the way for stalwart Zain Davids and debutant Jayden Nell to also join the travelling party. Davids was rested for the North American leg, and Nell is rewarded for an impressive debut in New York.
Bok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman said the team had to reset after returning from the North American leg and build momentum for the World Championship series, which also includes stops in Valladolid and Bordeaux.
“We started over; this is a new challenge and we have some players coming back, so we had to align first and the best way to do that is to start at the basics,” Snyman said. “Nothing has changed from our competitive excellence mindset in camp, so we will again travel with a quiet determination to build this team into one of the best in the world.”
Nortje has trained hard in recent months to ensure he is ready to contribute immediately.
“Everyone is working towards that goal, whether he is selected for a particular trip or not. Quewin worked very hard and now will be ready to contribute as we know he can,” Snyman added.
The Blitzboks are drawn in Pool A alongside Argentina Spain, and Uruguay. They open their campaign against Uruguay on Friday, followed by Spain later the same day, and conclude the pool stage against Argentina on Saturday morning.
With the return of Nortje’s pace and finishing ability, the Blitzboks will hope to claim their first Hong Kong title and continue their dominant run in the 2026 World Championship series. The squad departed for Honk Kong on Thursday.