Bryan Habana loses fight to earn place in South Africa’s Olympic sevens squad

Former World Rugby Player of the Year Bryan Habana was overlooked on Thursday when South Africa named a 12-man squad for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games sevens tournament.

Club commitments with French giants Toulon limited the seven-a-side appearances of the Springbok winger, who has scored 320 points in 117 tests.

Now 33, Habana was part of the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning squad and his electric pace made him a feared international opponent for more than a decade.

He played in the 2015 RWC in England, where South Africa came third, but was not part of the squad for a 2-1 home series win over Ireland last month.

A former Springbok, centre Juan de Jongh, was included by coach Neil Powell and another, scrum-half Francois Hougaard, is a travelling reserve.

Kyle Brown skippers a squad that includes Cheslin Kolbe and Seabelo Senatla, who turned out for Western Stormers in the early rounds of this Super Rugby season.