The Blitzbokke striking gold, again.

2016 & 2017 is truly and finally something of the past and not only would all business owners be ecstatic about it, but so too all South African rugby fans. We all struggled with a very poor economic climate and somewhere between deadlines and bills to pay, the feeling had shrugged off onto our weekend heroes as well…

One could go on forever about how SA rugby had gone from bad to worse under the supervision of Allister Coetzee, but that would just be icing on a terrible piece of cake. In reality Allister’s record is horrendous, or abysmal if you would, but badmouthing the bloke any further would not rectify the wrongs of yesterday, and neither shall it lead us to a winning way. In all fairness though, enough has been said about it, so let’s just move on to something worth writing about - The Blitzbokke…

One really needs to tip your hat to Neil Powell for what he has actually accomplished with this squad. Not only did he coach this outfit really well, but he also managed to create one big family of players playing for one another and in reality managed to become the flagship of South African Rugby. Since the start of 2017 they managed to win 5 tournaments and out matched their closest rivals by 28 points on the overall point log and were ultimately crowned World Series Champions. Bookies more often than not would have gambled with their homes or even worse, their children’s college funds on the Blitzbokke, and rightly so. The stats are absolutely phenomenal and declare volumes of just how much progress this team has made. Fortunately professional sports goes way beyond records, stats and trophies. 

Since Powell took over the coaching from Paul True in 2013, he did three things that really stood out. Firstly, he got the team’s defense on track.

Sevens rugby is very popular and basically known for try scoring. The faster, more agile team usually scores more tries and that pretty much always leads to victory. Between the likes of New Zealand and Fiji, they dominated the game of sevens with their great skill, speed and ability to play what we kids use to refer to as hot potato. These guys could run from basically anywhere on the pitch and end up with a five pointer. With their dominance, everyone else thought that they had the blue print for success in the sevens format and so they all emphasized the importance of playing offensive rugby and attacking the space.

In my book, Powell was the first sevens coach on the circuit that laid the same amount of emphasis on the big D, and he could really get his troops to man up defensively. Stats prove this statement as they only had 507 points scored against them compared to the 1320 points they managed to accumulate over the previous season. 13 of the 47 games won by the Blitzbokke in the previous season was in the form of a white wash, as the opponents were unable to cross the try line. The Blitzbokke seem to have this wolfpack mentality when it comes to defending, and they end up forcing so much pressure on the opposition that they place themselves in a position to score off the opponents’ errors. Don’t get me wrong, South Africa has got some seriously talented speedsters with “Magic Mike” like feet and they are really good on the offense as well. The beauty of it lies in the balance that Powell has established between defensive and offensive play, between speed and physicality.  

And that’s the second thing that Powell had done perfectly. He managed to get the balance of the team spot on! The hard men of the team, who compete for ball possession come ruck time, the Kwaggas, Browns, Drys’ and Kochs’  are just as quick, nippy and agile as the speedsters. Du Preez, Senatla, Afrika and Speccies are all guys with jet shoes and yet they defend really well, and are able to make a nuisance of themselves at every ruck, competing for the ball as if they were specialist loose forwards. As time passes, Powell is constantly fazing in young blood to the squad although the core remains the same. The squad can therefore handle injuries and retirements better than most other teams due to the fact that they are constantly developing young guys in whom they invest.  When Frankie Horn retired, Chris Dry could immediately take over the “axe man” role. When Kyle Brown announced his retirement as captain, Phillip Snyman was comfortable enough to take charge without any hesitation. When speedster Rayno Benjamin got less involved, Senatla was an absolute revelation and still is. Over the festive season, manager and trainer of the SA Sevens Academic side Marius Schoeman, had the freedom and guts to take with him on tour to South America two boys who haven’t even yet received their grade 12 exam results - this is what I call proper development.

So basically, they managed to keep the squad as fresh as possible and together with managing the squad well, they developed the core skills of all the guys within the group. Personally I feel so strong about their core development, that I would really love to see all centers and loose forwards contracted with SA’s top 6 franchises, training with the BlitzBokke at least twice a year in order too also develop their speed, ball poaching ability and all round vision.

 The third and final most instrumental thing Powell has achieved with this group, was creating a family of players. A family where you are believed to be good enough for the jersey. Selection is based on your ability, and what contribution you can make towards the team. Not once have I ever been confronted about the color, race or ethnical background of any player within the sevens group. All supporters and fans truly believe that the 7 guys out on the pitch are the best the country has to offer and that the replacements are all worthy to represent our country.  Though this might not sound like much to other rugby playing nations, it certainly is a huge deal back in South Africa. Transformation has become synonymous  with rugby in South Africa, and all politicians threw the phrase around as and when required, but there seems to be an unspoken restriction about Neil Powell’s troops where you as a politician or a supporter for that matter, would not dare. The players have moved beyond the point where they consider each other as teammates, and have reached the point where they are now brothers.

This coming weekend we will cheer the boytjies on as captain Phillip Snyman plays in is 50^th World Series Tournament down in Australasia. Though we know they can’t win every single tournament, I am more than confidant that they will defend their title with everything they’ve got. To Neil Powell, Phillip Snyman and every other player, manager and or staff member of the South African Sevens Team, thank you for being the flagship of South African Rugby and representing South Africa with the utmost respect and honor. Thank you for portraying a true rainbow nation, and stating what the rest of us has long forgotten within the spoils of politics and sports.  

Bring Super Rugby back to life.

Super rugby has been losing steam quite rapidly over the past four to five seasons. Not only is there less fans in the stands, but less people seem to be viewing the games on telly too. The decreasing figures are not only a concern in South Africa, but so too in Australia and New Zealand. One would imagine with the inclusion of Japanese and Argentine based franchises, the figures would increase but you would miss the posts by a mile.

Obviously there’s quite a number of reasons as to why the popularity of Super Rugby is on a slope, and personally I believe the number one reason would be the format.

Playing in three separate conferences complicates things drastically. All the teams don’t front up against each other and to make matters worse, some teams have an automatic advantage based on their conference position, tour schedule and fixed fixtures. Its rather essential that each team plays all the other teams. So, to better explain, we are currently facing a situation where the Hurricanes on 50 points and the Chiefs on 45 points, are dumped in a worse position than the likes of the Waratahs and the Lions on 44 and 41 points respectively. This is not a fair system and one would really love seeing your team compete against all the other sides. To determine the top 8 teams in July, you’d require an Oxford degree and that’s just all wrong. The average rugby supporter doesn’t want things any more complicated than it has to be and therefor the comp has to get back to basics (no pun intended).

The other great concern that Super Rugby is facing is the injury count. Some teams in 2018 had to compete despite the loss of more than 20 first class players at once. Squad depth has always been a reality and rightly so, but as off late it's just ridiculous. A couple of years ago the Stormers had lost 5 flyhalves in one season…

Players simply don’t have sufficient time to recover, and it would be safe to argue that the players spend too much time on the pitch, and way too much time in airplanes. If I may, I would like to use Beauden Barrett as an example. The two games Beauden did not start in 2018, the Hurricanes ended up on the wrong side of the score board, even though they were heavily regarded as favorites. His influence is impeccable towards the Hurricanes’ campaign.

If Beauden was to play 80 minutes of every game the “Canes was scheduled for, he would have played 1,280 minutes of rugby. Let’s say the ‘Canes make it all the way to the final he would have spent 1,440 minutes in his rugby gear just for the Hurricanes alone…  

These are just a couple of issues that the current format has to offer. I would like to see SANZAR bulking the comp up with an additional five teams and then tearing the whole lot into two separate divisions with a promotion / relegation system. As ludicrous as this may sound, bear with me and read it out…

Add the likes of a Samoan based team, a Tongan based team, the Western Force, and you can take your pick between the likes of Fiji, Namibia, Griquas and or the Pumas from South Africa. It might even be that New Zealand has another team on offer. These teams might not be as competitive in year one, as one would like but with the funds (broadcasting funds obviously) going their way this might just be exactly what they need to turn from amateur status to professional status. Within one season surely they will consist over the funds to lure back their own, playing trade abroad. This will obviously help turning the younger generation players into full scale professionals.

So basically (based on the current log) the comp will be as follows:

Tier A :                                                                                Tier B:

Crusaders                                                                            Sharks

Waratahs                                                                             Brumbies

Lions                                                                                    Stormers

Hurricanes                                                                           Bulls

Chiefs                                                                                  Reds

Highlanders                                                                         Blues

Jaquares                                                                              Sunwolves

Melbourne Rebels                                                                Pumas / Griquas / NZ Based Side

Samoa                                                                                  Namibia / Fiji

Tonga                                                                                   Western Force

 At first you might get the impression that Tier B will not exactly be competitive but I beg to differ. Between the Sharks, Brumbies, Stormers, Bulls, Queensland Reds and Blues you would have a pretty solid competition. In this tier alone there are 19 Finalists and 9 Champions based on results since 1996. The divisions however is based on the current log and the best part of the proposed format would be the promotion / relegation sequence. After each year, the two teams with the least points from tier A would automatically be relegated to the Second Tier. The two teams from tier B that makes the Final, would be automatically  promoted and advance to tier A.

This feature will have the teams buzzing as there is substance and the results has real purpose and absolute significance. 

In the past, Sanzar rejected a proposal to split the Super 14 into two seven-team divisions, but as of late, they might just reconsider.

Each team would be playing 9 games. With two breaks per team, a Semifinal and final format, along with a break in between the semifinals and the final, the tournament would still be able to finish within four months. No midterm break for internationals… Start February and finish mid-May. Almost the same amount of rugby, but in way less time. Simple as that. Enough time for June Internationals and for a possible 4 Nations in August. What could also turn out as an incredible initiative, is a possible 5 Nations between the likes of Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Japan and Namibia. With all of them already represented in a possible Super Comp, the ground work would be done and the broadcasting rights would finance the adventure. Rugby will turn PRO in the South and we as the fans would get serious value for money.

Sanzar should urgently look into the format, address and alter the competition in order to win back some lost interest. This path alone might not be the right way, but it’s definitely in the right direction. The Pacific Islanders need a change of luck and accommodating them in a Super Rugby format will change the game of rugby globally.