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San Diego have unveiled the signing of World Sevens Series star Cecil Afrika for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. He is the second South African international to join the Legion in following Bjorn Basson, the former Springbok winger announced just two days ago.
Afrika is widely considered one of the world’s great sevens players in the professional era. He was named World Sevens Player of the Year in 2011 and was a leading figure on the 2017 and 2018 Series-winning teams. His 1,462 career points including 179 tries are 7th and 9th best all-time respectively.
Now 32 years old, Afrika announced his retirement from the Sevens circuit earlier this year but left the door open for a potential return for the Tokyo Olympics. With the 2021 MLR season to run through the 1st of August, however, it looks as though his international career has come to a close.
While Afrika earned selection to South Africa’s team at the 2008 Junior World Championship, his career has largely been focused on sevens. A halfback in the shortened code, he has been used mostly at fullback in XVs, most recently appearing for the Cheetahs in the 2017 Currie Cup and Guinness Pro 14.
