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.