Blitzboks suffer early exit … again
28 Mar 2010
South Africa were knocked out in the Cup quarterfinal for the sixth consecutive time this season at the Hong Kong Sevens on Sunday.
What has happened to the South African sevens side? They were the in-form team last year and topped the World Series log from the opening Dubai leg. Now they find themselves out of the title race with two tournaments in England and Scotland remaining.
Paul Treu has suffered injuries to players like Paul Delport and lost a few experienced players to Super Rugby, like Robert Ebersohn, Gio Aplon and Lionel Mapoe, but majority of the 2009 champion squad is still there. Guys like Kyle Brown, Mzwandile Stick, Mpho Mbiyozo, Chase Minnaar, Ryno Benjamin and Franki Horne. Other players, like MJ Mentz and Cecil Afrika, have been in the setup before, so they know the stuctures and have the experience too.
Surely Treu could have find worthy replacements to fill in? Yet the head coach has called on youngsters like Chris Dry, Branco du Preez, Sampie Mastriet and Hoffman Maritz. They have injected some freshness in attack, but poor handling and weak defence has seen the team fail to replicate their 2009 form this year.
Now they only have one Plate title to their name and haven’t progressed past the Cup quarterfinals once this season. The results would have been understandable if Treu pointed out that this was a rebuilding phase, but he made it clear in an interview with SA Rugby magazine earlier this year that he had a strong enough squad to defend their World Series championship. Six unsuccessful tournaments later, it is clear that he didn’t.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, the Blitzboks looked impressive on day one and two with convincing victories over Zimbabwe, Korea and Kenya. But they were eliminated when they faced arch-nemisis Fiji in the Cup quaterfinals, losing 14-12.
Fiji led 14-5 at the break and fended off a late surge from South Africa. The latter managed to keep Fiji scoreless in the second half but one try from the defending champions was not enough for victory.
This saw South Africa face Kenya in the Plate semi-final. It was 7-all at the break as both teams scored a try a piece.
Du Preez edged South Africa ahead but the Kenyans levelled the scores again late in the second half. But the Blitzboks eventually grabbed the 19-12 win with a 16th-minute try through Mbiyozo.
They met Australia in the Plate final, and the defending champions were favourites as the more experienced side. But the young Australian team capitalised on a poor all-round performance from South Africa as they won 12-5.
The Blitzboks failed to convert their scoring opportunities because of poor handling. Mastriet scored the consolation try.
In other results, Samoa and New Zealand faced off in the final as they beat England 28-24 and Fiji 33-28 respectively.
Samoa went on to record an impressive win as they came back from 14-0 down to beat New Zealand 24-21.
Hong Kong Sevens results, day three:
Cup quarterfinal: Kenya 12 – 21 New Zealand
Cup quarterfinal: Fiji 14 – 12 South Africa
Cup quarterfinal: England 26 – 19 Australia
Cup quarterfinal: Samoa 24 – 7 United States
Bowl quarterfinal: Portugal 17 – 7 France
Bowl quarterfinal: Canada 26 – 0 Tonga
Bowl quarterfinal: Scotland 12 – 10 Japan
Bowl quarterfinal: Argentina 12 – 17 Wales
Shield quarterfinal: Chinese Tapei 12 – 45 Italy
Shield quarterfinal: Hong Kong 31 – 14 Korea
Shield quarterfinal: China 17 – 31 Russia
Shield quarterfinal: Zimbabwe 43 – 12 Thailand
Shield semi-final: Zimbabwe 14 – 17 Russia
Shield semi-final: Hong Kong 26 – 19 Italy
Bowl semi-final: Wales 26 – 7 Scotland
Bowl semi-final: Canada 26 – 24 Portugal
Plate semi-final: United States 12 – 21 Australia
Plate semi-final: South Africa 19 – 12 Kenya
Cup semi-final: Samoa 28 – 24 England
Cup semi-final: Fiji 28 – 33 New Zealand
Shield Final: Hong Kong 19 – 17 Russia
Bowl Final: Wales 19 – 35 Canada
Plate Final: South Africa 5 – 12 Australia
Cup Final: Samoa 24 – 21 New Zealand
For all results click here
By Gareth Duncan
97 Comments
28 Mar 2010, 08:27 am
Did anyone watch this?
28 Mar 2010, 08:29 am
@Kobus Kitty: i did…
28 Mar 2010, 08:53 am
dammit man!
28 Mar 2010, 08:57 am
ja well, did anyone expect anything different?
28 Mar 2010, 09:10 am
Didn`t see it but can guess. Outmuscled, defensive lapses?
28 Mar 2010, 09:17 am
The Hong Kong Sevens is THE biggest, most important Sevens tournament on earth, until it is played in the next Olympics. It’s even bigger than Wellington’s tournament and the Melrose one.
28 Mar 2010, 09:23 am
Our aquad is filled with too many lightweight midgets. It has not got championship material. End of story. We have not got the blend of talent right. This 2010 squad are not flash. They are middle of the road.
Paul knows that’s true.
More disappointment on the cards down the road. Facts.
28 Mar 2010, 09:59 am
7′s should be used as a platform to develop players for Super and CC rugby. A player should only play for a maxomum of 2 years before moving up, like Ebershorm(SP) . But nooooo 7′s is a place where the pygmy can hide and spend years on the road until they reach retirement age … pathetic.
Fact is none of these pygmies are good enough to step up to play big man’s rugby.
28 Mar 2010, 10:06 am
Sampie Mastriet played SA-U20 last year. He is in line to do it again this year. He was part of the bigger Super14 squad of the Bulls.
28 Mar 2010, 10:06 am
Treu indicated before the tournament that he would get rid of some old hands and start rebuilding if we don’t do well (read win) in this tournament.
Let’s see if he stays true to his word.
28 Mar 2010, 10:22 am
You guys think maybe the egos got in the way after winning the series lst yr? Some off the field stuff before the series started with Benjamin and, why is Mbyozo not playing a full game nowadays? They defended like Trojans (yes, these same pygmies), maybe even Spartans the yr before but now… I guess losing both your playmakers in Zangqwa and Deysel is bound to have an affect.
28 Mar 2010, 10:44 am
Where’s Tacitus?
I wonder if he sees that there are no follow up articles after yesterday’s matches. It is probably the case because the Stormers did not play.
Come on Keo!!! What about some in depth analysis of the Bulls and Sharks’ games?
28 Mar 2010, 10:45 am
The turning point for 7`s will be when countries pick their squads for the olympics. I`m quite sure that countries like USA and Australia will pick test players in their squads. The olympics mean a lot to them. It will be interesting to see whether SA will go on picking the off-cuts that can`t make any of the cup competitions. Probably will.
28 Mar 2010, 11:22 am
In the past SA was the masters at speeding with players like Aplon, Demas, Juries, Basson etc. The next generation is simply not in the same class.
28 Mar 2010, 11:58 am
@dWeePer: how long did it take the aplon’s etc that were ostensibly masters to win the world series?
28 Mar 2010, 12:04 pm
Bowl final ….Wales v Canada. (now in progress)
Plate final…….Australia (my Cozzies) v The Republic of Saffadom.
Grand Final…….Samoa v The Good Guys(nz).
28 Mar 2010, 12:26 pm
Oh Canada, I could drink a case of you.
Joni.
28 Mar 2010, 12:29 pm
Nobody, and I mean nobody,
does a Tournament in any sport, like HK does with the 7′s.
28 Mar 2010, 12:31 pm
Who is that uly looking pygmy in the 7 jersey – that fools does not tackle and he is falling over his own feet.
Aus 7
Pygmies 0
28 Mar 2010, 12:32 pm
Aus 7
Pygmies 5
28 Mar 2010, 12:35 pm
Magnificent try SA.
28 Mar 2010, 12:36 pm
Sampre Mastrict (Spelling).
Next yr s14 player.
28 Mar 2010, 12:41 pm
@cane: he is a bully boy
and the idiot misses the penalty.
28 Mar 2010, 12:42 pm
who the hell takes penalty kicks in 7s?
28 Mar 2010, 12:42 pm
TRY convicts
28 Mar 2010, 12:44 pm
@RedLion:
this is good game Red.
28 Mar 2010, 12:46 pm
Convicts win.
28 Mar 2010, 12:47 pm
@cane: yip the better team one, poor handling cost the weee fellows this match.
28 Mar 2010, 12:48 pm
lol won
28 Mar 2010, 12:51 pm
Samoa vs NZ
This is the only match that matters.
28 Mar 2010, 12:52 pm
@RedLion:I bet the pygmies would run rings around you …
28 Mar 2010, 12:54 pm
Shame, now we can`t even win the plate. Let`s try the bowl next.
28 Mar 2010, 12:54 pm
they are talking about Tomasi Cama’s father who played for Fiji. Well gues who poached him?
28 Mar 2010, 12:54 pm
This is gonna be a good game … was surprised that Baker was so productive in the semi-final (after last week fiasco)
28 Mar 2010, 12:55 pm
@JustAnotherFan: just one tackle and he is history.
28 Mar 2010, 12:55 pm
@RedLion: Postv 28.
True (pun intended).
SA have the talent, but today they lacked the composure.
28 Mar 2010, 12:55 pm
I hate it when they refer to these off-cuts as Springboks.
28 Mar 2010, 12:58 pm
bring it on…….
28 Mar 2010, 12:58 pm
TRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
NZ 7
Samoa zip
28 Mar 2010, 12:59 pm
@Springbokvel: They are Boks
28 Mar 2010, 12:59 pm
TRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
NZ 14
Samoa zip
28 Mar 2010, 13:02 pm
Is it going to be a Bakers dozen.
28 Mar 2010, 13:02 pm
No, they are the South African 7`s team. The Springboks are the senior xv. Same goes for the U21`s, U19 and whatever. They are NOT Springboks.
28 Mar 2010, 13:02 pm
TRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Samoa
28 Mar 2010, 13:03 pm
When last did NZ beat Samoa?
28 Mar 2010, 13:03 pm
NZ 14
Samoa 5
28 Mar 2010, 13:07 pm
@Springbokvel: You have a complex … they are the Bok 7s side
28 Mar 2010, 13:07 pm
“I saw a white player, 6 strike a black player in the head”
what is wrong with that? Now Samoa down to 6 men.
28 Mar 2010, 13:08 pm
NZ get a yellow now
28 Mar 2010, 13:09 pm
TRYYYYYYYYYY Samoa
28 Mar 2010, 13:12 pm
2nd half
NZ 14
Samoa 12
28 Mar 2010, 13:12 pm
this game has everything.
And the result sits upon the edge of a knife.
28 Mar 2010, 13:12 pm
TRYYYYYYYY Samoa
28 Mar 2010, 13:13 pm
whats the score there??
28 Mar 2010, 13:13 pm
NZ 14
Samoa 17
What a good match this is – high quality all round.
28 Mar 2010, 13:14 pm
keep scores coming please RL…
28 Mar 2010, 13:15 pm
6 min to play
28 Mar 2010, 13:16 pm
@grant10: Roar!
28 Mar 2010, 13:17 pm
Baker is on his way again and a great chiropractor tackle on an unfortunate kiwi there.
4:30 left
28 Mar 2010, 13:18 pm
go samoa!!!
28 Mar 2010, 13:19 pm
Tryyyyy Samoa
NZ 14
Samoa 24
28 Mar 2010, 13:19 pm
Pesamino is really a star!
28 Mar 2010, 13:20 pm
2:42 left
28 Mar 2010, 13:21 pm
yes man…..go samoa
28 Mar 2010, 13:23 pm
60 secs left
28 Mar 2010, 13:24 pm
GAME OVER … SAMOA WIN
NZ 21
Samoa 24
28 Mar 2010, 13:24 pm
NZ score. 24-21 final score.
28 Mar 2010, 13:26 pm
@cane: Great match that was, commiserations.
Well played Samoa – 3 titiles in a row.
28 Mar 2010, 13:29 pm
time for true to go … surely thats not the best 7′s players in SA. i know its super14, but there are much better guys playing vodacom cup
28 Mar 2010, 13:29 pm
To my Pacific Bros……………………….Well done.
they are the form Team of the series.
from 14—zero down.
Victory.
28 Mar 2010, 13:30 pm
sounds like a great final!!
28 Mar 2010, 13:32 pm
Wow what a fine victory presentation that was – great fireworks display.
28 Mar 2010, 13:33 pm
@Rugby101:
No Rugby 101, they are not your best best 7′s players.
They are all in the S14.
Tough choice is it not.
28 Mar 2010, 13:33 pm
cane maybe the Canes can use some Samoan players ..
28 Mar 2010, 14:01 pm
NZ lost.
Full Stop.
End of Story.
I Cane,
son of Grond,
hereby State Unequivocally,
that there was no conspiracy against my Nation with this result.
Categorically,
the Ref was not to blame.
There was no conspiracy.
We were beaten.
fair and square.
(how long will we have to wait to see a Saffa say thr same).
28 Mar 2010, 14:11 pm
@cane:
Cane , you only say that because you lost to the nation that supplies you half ur rugby population in New Zealand 
Now if you guys lost to SA or England the theories would be plentyfull
lol only kidding mate , i would say sorry about your team yesterday ,but i am just to happy about my own teams win
28 Mar 2010, 14:12 pm
Go Ya good things Samoa
Now convert that quality to 15 man game and we could have a real problem come Wc 2011.
28 Mar 2010, 14:12 pm
Cane the Sharks got cheated in every match this year accept the Match where the Saders smacked us
28 Mar 2010, 14:14 pm
@cane: dontcha think its a good day to take out the wooden spoon and stir a bit??
28 Mar 2010, 14:59 pm
@cane: surely Barnsey had something to do with it, no?
28 Mar 2010, 15:07 pm
@cane:
The Lions lost
The Lions suck
I RedLion
Son of Mufasa, the Lion King
Hailing from the plains of Africa
Do solemnly blame Earl Rose and his pygmy mate
For costing my team, on average 3 tries a game
Wholeheartedly,
The coaches are not to blame
The refs are not to blame
We are beaten, every week
Because of **** players…
28 Mar 2010, 15:13 pm
@RedLion:
Who hires/selects these “**** players”? Do they select themselves?
The main problem with your franchise is that they still don’t know the meaning of professionalism.
28 Mar 2010, 15:17 pm
@coherence: who ever hired Rose should be SHOT! who ever renewed his contract should be castrated in public.
28 Mar 2010, 15:17 pm
28 Mar 2010, 15:18 pm
@RedLion:
28 Mar 2010, 17:02 pm
@RedLion: Perhaps you should also be included in the public castration…
28 Mar 2010, 17:41 pm
RedLion
Continue the Rose bashing to ur hearts content but it still doesn’t absolve that the team is run by a butch of incompetent fools couldn’t be bothered in proffessionalism.The union will never prosper with the old boys club running things.
Rose has been poor no doubt but he has impressed every coach he has played under from De Villiers to Jake White with ability to create opportunities and skills set.but that being said he had been decidedly poor but not responsible for the results.
Lions will never go anywhere still playing that “Brakpan/EastRand All Star XV” that run out every weekend to get snortkappled.Led by the though honest but thick as pigshit Cobus Grobelaar.
The likes of:
Geldenhuys
Franklin
Emslie
JC van Rensburg
Stoltz
Grobelaar
Franco be Merwe
JP Joubert
Herkie Kruger
Killian
Pekeur
La Grange
The above should all be playing on Friday/Sat afternoons in front of paltry drunk crowds/mates and be happy to be VC reckoning.if really lucky-get overseas contract with Saracens/midtable French/italian club.
28 Mar 2010, 18:14 pm
Rose
Minnie
Clever
Francis
Walter Venter
Chavanga
Mjekevu
The above one can work with-have talent but need right structures,coaching,conditioning and equally talented/world class players with them in team.But the Brakpan All Stars..won’t do
28 Mar 2010, 18:24 pm
rose = k@kkest player is SA history …
28 Mar 2010, 21:33 pm
The Blitzboks are underpowered. They are too small.
28 Mar 2010, 22:45 pm
@mshiniwami: Ja Rose didn’t even start on Sat and they still lost. I’d just ignore Red Lion he’s a troll in my book. He likes to sling mud at everyone else rather than face the painful reality that his team is absolute kak from the coaches to the players.
28 Mar 2010, 22:50 pm
@mshiniwami: 88. The best player in the Lions team is a yank – that is funny.
29 Mar 2010, 00:56 am
Well done Samoa! Good game both sides.
Nice to see you beat 1 of your poaching big brothers! Imagine what you could do with all your talent if not getting nicked.
Blitzbokke played really well. Franco and Sampie are stars in the making!
Question: How much rope do we give the coachs before we look at some one new?
29 Mar 2010, 01:28 am
Treu is best man to take thus team fwd.
Any talk of firing him is ludicrous to say the least.last yr he took a team of relative unkowns to Cup Championship.a trophy never won before by SA.he is an avid follower of the code and dedicated to this team.
No rope here,not even close.Even the great Gordon Tietjens has had his below par namely just last yr.
Sampie Mastriet is going to be the next Pasamino.
29 Mar 2010, 02:44 am
@KevinRack: Blitzbokke played “really well”. Whaaat? Are you watching the same game the rest of us are?
True, they won 3 hooks against the head and 2 lineouts against the throw (almost unheard of in 14 mins of 7′s rugby) but that had more to do with a weak aus team than our boys playing “really well”. Through knock-ons, poor D and poor option taking they gifted those baby-faced Aussies the plate. Piss poor and I feel for Paul Treu.
29 Mar 2010, 07:11 am
I have to say, this original article is very poor and lacking accuracy. There are 12 players in a touring squad. Between 2009 and 2010, SA Boks have lost the following players:
Lionel Mapoe, Philip Snyman, Robert Ebersohn, Gio Aplon (Super 14), Vuyo Zangqa (career ending injury), Renfred Dazel (season-ending knee injury, missed whole season), Paul Delport (knee injury in George, so played one tournament).
In addition, for this tournament, Mzwandile Stick was out. So that’s seven/eight players, out of 12. And they’re key players – the senior guys plus the game-breakers. If you took Zar Lawrence, DJ Forbes, Lote Raikabula and Tomasi Cama out of NZ’s team (four players in total, half the number we lost), how would they compete? Samoa without Uale Mai, Pesamino, Lolo Lui and Mikaele?
So in Hong kong (and for much of the season), the side has had two-thirds new players. The total number of tournaments among the 12 players in HK was 90. Kenya is on 290, Samoa 280, and New Zealand in the high 100s, with five guys all over 20 tournaments. We had 7 guys with 4 tournaments or fewer. Even the ‘experienced’ players like Kyle Brown are in the single figures still.
So all told, this is a new team. And on the selection issue, you must also be aware, I would hope, being a follower of the sport, that the players are not available for selection, because they are contracted to provincial unions and thus available for selection to Super 14 at any time. So there are about 180 players in SA unavailable (Super 14), another 50 or so on teh fringes of Super14 and thus unavailable, and then about 70 in junior age-group teams and also unavailable to a longer term Springbok Sevens contract.
Also, just a point on defence – the stats show that SA defence is not weak. Just the opposite, we are ranked fourth this season behind Samoa, Fiji and NZ in defensive performance. And if anyone can find evidence that we are out-muscled because of smaller size, please provide it. Of course there are rucks where the ball is turned over, but we win more ball on opposition ball than they do on ours, without fail, so to argue the players are too small is also false.
Yes, the results have been disappointing, but until there is buy-in from above, which would provide access to players and support for their development, we will struggle against teams like Kenya and Samoa and NZ who are able to retain a core group of 10 guys per season (Just on that, the NZ 12 here in HK has 9 guys from last year’s squad, 7 of whom have been in it since 2007), we will struggle. The time is coming though where the sports become too specialized to cross-over, and I’d even say that now, many Super 14 players would struggle in Sevens. Fitness and space coverage are different, so the addition of Super 14 players would necessarily improve a team, as NZ and Eng have both found in recent years.
29 Mar 2010, 08:42 am
@Sevens fan: Thanks for that. A true fan. Maybe you should write the articles, not Gareth Duncan, ouch.
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