Former Stormers winger and Springbok national team player Brendon Pauls endorsed Seabelo Senatla's move after he performed a backflip while celebrating the first touchdown in the 'Men in Black' team's new kit in Saturday's match against the Sharks.
Pauls, who wore the black number 14 jersey in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is associated with the flick-flack celebration, and Senatla now appears to be aiming to revive this past acrobatics.
Similar to how Pauls did it in Newlands, the speedy player crossed the touchdown line in the right corner of the DHL Stadium, pushed off after being lifted, and executed a backflip despite having bandages on both knees. This moment evoked nostalgic memories, and according to Pauls, he got goosebumps when he saw Senatla do it.
Pauls wants the celebration to continue
However, he now urged the former Blitzbok star to continue using this celebration every time he scores. Pauls told IOL Sport: 'I was commenting in Afrikaans during the game, and I was very surprised when he did the flick-flack.' He continued: 'We spoke earlier at the presentation of the new Stormers home and away kits, and I told him it was high time someone did a backflip again. Usually, he used to do front flips when scoring in the corner. But then he approached for the flick-flack; I didn't know he could do that.'
He added: 'But it was something wonderful, and it immediately went viral. And fittingly, he also wore number 14 on his back, scored the first touchdown in the new black kit in the first match, and did a backflip. It was truly special.' Pauls noted that the Stormers also did a great job by gathering about 50 former Stormers players for this match against the Sharks, and it was wonderful to meet his former teammates and their families.
He spoke with Pieter Roosouw, another winger for the team, and captain Corne Krige. According to him, the players liked how captain Ruan Nel brought his team onto the field and the magnificent rugby that the Stormers displayed in the coastal derby. 'This is the kind of rugby that our Cape Town fans come to watch. It was a superb start to a new era in the away kit, and it was good to see the 'Men in Black' playing again.'