Ex Supersport
It was a fitting end to the 2013 year in Sevens as Kyle Brown lifted the trophy at the Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens – an emotional end to an eventful 12 months that saw four trophies, disappointment at the World Cup and a change in the coaching staff.
The IRB Sevens calendar runs from October to June every year, but in summing up the 2013 year, it takes into account the last series and the opening salvos of the 2013/14 season.
And all in all, things look very positive for the Blitzbokke under new coach Neil Powell as they currently sit second, two points behind the consistent World Champions New Zealand and poised to have a real crack at the HSBC World Series crown.
Under Paul Treu and Powell, the Blitzbokke won in Las Vegas, Glasgow, Tokyo and Port Elizabeth, and on all four occasions beat the All Blacks in the final, confirming that finally they might have the number of Gordon Tietjens’ team and challenge their global domination of the World Series.(We are surely entering bunnies territory!)
What sets the All Blacks apart though, is their consistency, as they hardly ever don’t make the semifinals of a competition, and combined with the tournaments they win, that's usually enough to lift them to the crown.
(Yes we need to ensure Powell has the players he needs)
New Zealand v South Africa Highlights
The Series is a tough one, but consistency is what all other teams lacked in the 2012/13 year, with Treu’s side failing to match their heights in other games, and more than once missed out on the quarterfinals of tournaments.
But while Treu had problems with injuries and player availability, he still managed to win more tournaments in a season than any other coach on the world circuit. And if the Blitzbokke had a bit more consistency, they would have done better than their second-place finish.(Can't argue with that)
After disappointment in Dubai and Port Elizabeth, the Blitzbokke moved into 2013 with success in Wellington on their minds. But a disasterous start – losing to Samoa and Canada – meant they just sneaked into the quarters, where Kenya beat them.
The weekend turned worse when Australia ended their tournament with a win in the Plate semifinals. Not a good weekend for the Blitzbokke.
But things were to take a turn for the better in Las Vegas, where they showed that a week is a long time in rugby by turning their fortunes around.
Revenge over Canada and Kenya in pool rounds set them up nicely, and the road to the final saw wins over Wales and Samoa.
The highlight was the final, where they totally dominated the All Blacks and ran away with a 40-21 victory to give the Series its fifth different winner in as many tournaments.
Full of confidence, they moved to Hong Kong, hoping desperately to break their duck and win the jewel of the Sevens crown for the first time.
But again their form was not up to standard, as the team succumbed to Argentina and Samoa in the pool rounds to miss qualification for the Cup, before bowing out in the semifinals of the Bowl.
Once again the curse of Hong Kong had struck, and the Blitzbokke were left searching for answers.
Despite a loss to Fiji in the pool rounds, the Blitzbokke picked themselves up in Tokyo to surge through to the final, beating Samoa and France on the way, before scoring another impressive victory over the All Blacks in the final.
They followed this up with a 28-21 win in Glasgow to beat the All Blacks for a third time in the season but weren’t able to stop Gordon Tietjens' side from claiming the World Series crown.(Doubtless the kiwis know who the best side really are)
DISAPPOINTING END TO THE SEASON
And while London was a blowout, as injured players were sent home and the focus was more on the looming World Cup in Moscow, it was a disappointing way to end the season, bowing out in the quarterfinals against England after some horrific refereeing decisions.
If Moscow was a World Cup dream, then the officials killed it for the Blitzbokke, as they were in superb form, not conceding a point in pool play but were then totally derailed as captain Kyle Brown was cited for eye gouging and banned for six matches.
The farce continued as the ban was reduced to two games on appeal, with IRB officials privately saying it should never have been a citing, but the damage was done. (same old same old Boks getting robbed blind)
The Blitzbokke headed to the quarters without their captain and chose the wrong game-plan, with two soft minutes against Fiji ending their World Cup dream.
It also meant an end for coach Paul Treu, whose contract was not renewed by Saru after eight seasons in charge.
In his time, Treu had won the second-most tournaments of any coach on circuit, but internal team issues and a willingness by Saru to try something new meant he parted ways with South African rugby, taking up a position with Kenya.
But Treu’s attention to detail and his relentless fighting for the sport has taken it to where it is now, with professional structures and contracts being introduced under his watch, as well as a world-class training facility in Stellenbosch.
Neil Powell and Vuyo Zangqa started off sharing the coaching role, and found immediate success with a Gold medal at the World Games in Colombia, before Zangqa joined Treu at Kenya and Powell carried on alone.
And the results have been encouraging. Powell has made it clear he wants consistency from the team, with a semifinal in the Sevens Series a bare minimum from each tournament.
From a semifinal in the Gold Coast and losing the final in Dubai to a rampant Fiji, to winning the tournament for Madiba in Port Elizabeth, Powell has achieved success in his first few tournaments.
But it must be remembered that Treu also won in his fourth tournament in charge. The challenge therefore, will be to continue this success on a basis that the Blitzbokke challenge New Zealand for the World Series crown.
If they get the consistency right half the battle will be won.
If Powell get the players he need we should take the Sevens Crown. Add tha tto Meyer taking the number 1 test ranking and all will be as it should. Go Bokke!
