The last Tournament in the 2014 calendar year for the HSBC Sevens World Series of 2014 / 2015 took place in Port Elizabeth at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens tournament was played over 2 Days, Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 December 2014.
When play started on Day 1, France scored within 14 seconds against Fiji, but Fiji rallied to demolish France by 45 / 5.
Canada surprised by beating Scotland 14 / 12 in the 2nd game.
A number of more surprises followed on Day one, but what remained firm was the South African Blitzbokke resolve as they monstered their way to 3 excellent wins, and only conceeding a solitary try in the process.
Apart from South Africa, the other big Sevens nations – New Zealand, England, Fiji and Australia were joined by USA, Scotland and Argentina in the Cup Quarters on Day 2.
South Africa advanced to the Final, beating England and Australia along the way, whilst New Zealand beat USA to advance to a semi against Argentina, then comfortably beat Argentina, to book their place against the South African Blitzbokke in the Final.
Australia took the 3rd Place Play-off game against Argentina, 34 / 19.
The South African Blitzbokke took Final honours against New Zealand by 26 / 17 and made it back to back tournament wins as well as a successful defence of the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens title!
To Southern Hemisphere rugby interests, this tournament represents the last action in the 2014 rugby season, with their off-season officially starting after this tournament.
In the Northern Hemisphere though, it is all action in December.
The 2014 / 2015 season carries added significance because the top-ranked sides after the ninth and final round in London in May 2015 will qualify directly for the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.
All times are SA Time (CAT = GMT+2)
Results – Day 1 |
||||
| 13 | Fiji | 45 – 5 | France | 10:30 |
| 13 | Scotland | 12 – 14 | Canada | 10:52 |
| 13 | Australia | 33 – 21 | Portugal | 11:14 |
| 13 | Argentina | 31 – 5 | Zimbabwe | 11:36 |
| 13 | New Zealand | 24 – 7 | Samoa | 11:58 |
| 13 | England | 45 – 0 | Japan | 12:20 |
| 13 | South Africa | 26 – 0 | USA | 12:42 |
| 13 | Wales | 29 – 5 | Kenya | 13:04 |
| 13 | Fiji | 26 – 7 | Canada | 13:46 |
| 13 | Scotland | 19 – 12 | France | 14:08 |
| 13 | Australia | 50 – 0 | Zimbabwe | 14:30 |
| 13 | Argentina | 14 – 7 | Portugal | 14:52 |
| 13 | New Zealand | 29 – 0 | Japan | 15:14 |
| 13 | England | 22 – 7 | Samoa | 15:36 |
| 13 | South Africa | 38 – 7 | Kenya | 15:58 |
| 13 | Wales | 12 – 38 | USA | 16:20 |
| 13 | France | 24 – 21 | Canada | 17:04 |
| 13 | Fiji | 19 – 12 | Scotland | 17:26 |
| 13 | Portugal | 19 – 7 | Zimbabwe | 17:48 |
| 13 | Australia | 21 – 31 | Argentina | 18:10 |
| 13 | Samoa | 14 – 17 | Japan | 18:52 |
| 13 | New Zealand | 5 – 0 | England | 19:14 |
| 13 | USA | 33 – 5 | Kenya | 19:36 |
| 13 | South Africa | 36 – 0 | Wales | 19:58 |
Fixtures & Results – Day 2 |
||||
| 14 | Wales | 24 – 22 | Samoa | 10:51 |
| 14 | Canada | 22 – 5 | Zimbabwe | 11:13 |
| 14 | Japan | 12 – 26 | Kenya | 11:35 |
| 14 | Portugal | 7 – 42 | France | 11:57 |
| 14 | South Africa | 31 – 7 | England | 12:19 |
| 14 | Fiji | 19 – 31 | Australia | 12:41 |
| 14 | New Zealand | 28 – 7 | USA | 13:03 |
| 14 | Argentina | 26 – 19 | Scotland | 13:25 |
| 14 | Samoa | 21 – 14 | Zimbabwe | 14:07 |
| 14 | Japan | 15 – 24 | Portugal | 14:29 |
| 14 | Wales | 14 – 24 | Canada | 14:51 |
| 14 | Kenya | 14 – 12 | France | 15:13 |
| 14 | England | 0 – 31 | Fiji | 15:55 |
| 14 | USA | 26 – 19 | Scotland | 16:17 |
| 14 | South Africa | 19 – 10 | Australia | 16:39 |
| 14 | New Zealand | 29 – 0 | Argentina | 17:01 |
| 14 | Samoa | 14 – 19 | Portugal | 17:43 |
| 14 | Canada | 24 – 5 | Kenya | 18:08 |
| 14 | Fiji | 14 – 21 | USA | 18:33 |
| 14 | Australia | 34 – 19 | Argentina | 18:58 |
| 14 | South Africa | 26 – 17 | New Zealand | 19:30 |
HSBC Sevens World Series Standings prior to this tournament:
| Team | AUS | DUB | RSA | USA | NZL | JPN | HKG | SCO | ENG | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiji | 22 | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 39 |
| 2 | South Africa | 15 | 22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 37 |
| 3 | Australia | 10 | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 29 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 13 | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 28 |
| 5 | Samoa | 19 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 27 |
| 6 | England | 17 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 27 |
| 7 | Argentina | 12 | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 25 |
| 8 | Wales | 10 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20 |
| 9 | Scotland | 5 | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 17 |
| 10 | France | 7 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14 |
| 11 | USA | 8 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13 |
| 12 | Portugal | 5 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| 13 | Canada | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| 14 | Kenya | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| 15 | Japan | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| 16 | Brazil | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| 17 | American Samoa | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
@ Pietman:
Ek stem. Die sewes het ons trots gedoen. Het eintlik eers vir sb se comment gelag want ek dog hy was maar net sarkasties 😆 net n bizare tyd voor kersfees dat iemand se kop te nog bars oor HM.
Geluk bokkies en Rolene!
superBul wrote:
Ek dink Heyneke is nou al te oud om vinnig te wees, wat gaan hy baat met goeie bal hantering? Teen daai ouderdom is dit sy anderhelfte wat moet raad kry oor balhantering.
@ grootblousmile:
Bliksem maar die parkering by nasrec is n fokop na die tyd waneer almal huistoe gaan. Dink mens moet eerder braai na die tyd.
243 @ MacroBok:
Mmmm, ‘n braai na die tyd by Nasrec is ALTYD ‘n goeie idee.
Lekker stadion, daai FNB Pampoen, nie waar nie!
Het julle die show geniet?
MacroBok wrote:
Ek het kort en kragtig, net gese hy kan by die Blitzbokke leer.
Hy glo sy struktuur het geen ander eksperts nodig nie.
Geniet jul oogklappe ek sien darem oor my half vol glas. Die murky stront in jul vol glase saam daai oogklappe maak dit maar moeilik om lig te sien.
Die hele Gauteng is weer hier in ons wereld, lekker besig hier.
Fantastic to see the result here, well done BlitzBokke, 3 big title wins that I can think of and all achieved in finals against our biggest rivals
233 @ MacroBok:
Dit lyk so, hy speel n moerse game
Shame people, spare a thought for all those Cape Saders who pulled up in their All Black jerseys……they must be looking and feeling like real e-posse right about now
If rugby is going to go global,it has to include USA,because of sheer size of population.
Will never happen.with endless reset scrums.
and rules that no one understands and grandstanding officials.
.Endless complaints of bias.
Has to be fast,(instant gratification) simple and
entertaining.Yankee style.
Who did not enjoy this tournament.?The skill,tries,
costumes,spectator participation?Wonderful to watch.
I enjoy (ed) rugby,but it is becoming moribund ,predictable and boring.
Global game will be 7,s.Start will be Olympic games
Rugby will become an anachromism, unless the
countless old farts on IRB (57 squared) love the game more than the stipend and make it a more
enjoyable.game.
Food for thought?????
80 minutes.Reds 3 Sharks3
Remember how thrilling that was??Rye
248 Nortje Fok hulle.
@ Bullscot:
#246 meant to say 3 in the last 6 months – last week in Dubai this week in Die Baai to go along with the Commonwealth win
@ ryecatcher:
#249 Hi ryecatcher I get what you’re saying, a bit like in cricket with T20 and test matches, there is a place for both games and in both sports in terms of gaining new spectators the shorter versions are probably more popular and can be a tool to use to get more people into the sport. But for purists test cricket and 15 version of rugby are the real thing and I for one like the quick ‘fix’ the shortened versions offer but like the various complexities of the longer versions, wouldn’t like to see the battles at scrum time line outs mauls etc and yes even good use of drop kick to score points as long as tries are also being scored through good flowing attacking rugby. No doubt next World Cup in England will have a lot of attention the challenge is to get the ‘Jonny come latelies’ more interested in our game before then and after it is done.
@ Bullscot:
meant to say wouldn’t like to see the various complexities of the things I mentioned get diluted
ryecatcher wrote:
The “wise old men” in Dublin has been nothing if not consistent in their inability to grow Rugby Union form the fringe sport that it has always been into something more appealing to the world in general.
The very structure of “World Rugby” (IRB) and the manner in which decisions are made regarding the direction in which the sport goes will always prevent real global development and growth in my (not so) humble opinion.
For too many years I’ve been soap boxing about this, but the truth is that the average Rugby spectator / fan really doesn’t give a tinkers cuss about growing the game on the world stage, so it really isn’t a fight that one can win from outside the Rugby structures, and unfortunately (in SA) top adminstration within the “big 5” Provincial Unions, and SARU is nothing more than an “old boys club” that makes it very difficult for people with new thinking and ideas to gain any foothold at a meaningfull level.
(Doff’s cap and climbes slowly off soap box.)
Now on a more positive note!
The Blitz Bokke have entertained on a massive scale in the last 2 weeks.
The aggressive defesive platform that they employ to drive opposition teams backwards and keep them pinned in their own half for long periods is a joy to watch.
I think that the true credit must surely go to Neil Powell.
He hasn’t made massive changes to the squad, yet the whole “houding” has changed to one of expecting to win the big games.
On reflection, I must ask myself what sort of infuence was Paul Treu on the squad during his tenure as coach?
When one sees what an unmitigated failure he has been up in Kenya, one has to ask whether the successes he had with SA were as much to do with the quality of players that the SA system produces rather than his effectiveness as a coach?
Or is it just a question of the Kenyan players resenting a “foreign” coach and Treu effectively “losing the dressing room”?
Certainly under Powell the SA group have taken a step up to a higher level IMO.
Am I reading more in to the situation than it deserves? Any thoughts gents (& ladies)?
@ superBul:
Jy is obsessief oor meyer.
Hoekom moet ons spelers nie iets leer by die sewes bokke leer? Of selfs op provinsiale vlak. Hoekom moet hulle nie daar leer waar hul heel jaar speel nie. Nou moet Meyer die kort tyd met die bokke spandeer om die ouens vaardighede te leer? Dit maak nie sin nie
256… Ei sou eerder se d8e bulle kan baie by die sewes leer. But then again these players are selected for their skills and speed. A guy like kolbe knew he needed something extra because of bis size. So his skills development since school has been phenominal especially the vision he has. So too Kwagga, he is smaller than the other guys but uses his nippy speed and his abrasive style to keep up and even surpass other loose forwards. This is the style these guys have been playing all their lives.
Powel would not suddenly turn marcel coetzee, or morne steyn into world class sevens players lol
MacroBok wrote:
Ek onthou nog toe hulle net die Hong Kong Sevens gespeel het, en ons Springbokke gestuur het om deel te neem, ons het ‘n span gestuur het met Joost, Andre Joubert, Andre Venter en Pieter Rossouw (en ‘n negentienjarige Bobby Skinstad)
Dit verbeter die ouens se spel baie, hulle kan gapings en opsies sien wat hulle saambring vyftien man rugby toe
Kyk bietjie
@ Victoriabok:
Wie is Stephen Brink en vir wie het hy gespeel?
@ Victoriabok:
Hy was n shark dink ek
@ Victoriabok:
Dit sal die ouens help opknap. Ek se net die ouens kan nie basiese bal vaardighede leer op springbok vlak nie. Dit is nie die ouens se werk nie.
Dalk kan hulle meer bestee om die ouens sewes te laat speel na skool.
Hoe werk die varsity cup sewes? Hulle kan n circuit skep waar die ouens oor die land toer elke tweede week en by n ander unieversiteit speel of op provinsiale vlak om vaardighede te leer.
Sewes isnl nou so prefesioneel jy sal nerens kon deur net n uitnodiging span saam te vat olympics toe.
Stephen Brink was ‘n Vrystaat & Sharks vleuel
Stephen Brink, although a good wing, was weak on defence and never Springbok material.
@ Angostura:
now selling used cars in umgeni road
@ Victoriabok:
sad that andre venter and joost are now both in such a bad way.
interesting that there were 3 natal schools players in the starting 7
Congratulations to the Blitz Boks, they are on a roll.
I do hope they don’t get the speed wobbles.
👿
@ Scrumdown:
I think the Kenyan Players are nearly all Students and the Coaching Staff have a problems getting them all together.
I also recall they have problems paying Players, which of course means that they have problems retaining quality players.
To compare Paul Trues fortunes with the Blitz Boks, to those of his tenure with Kenya is a little unfair.
MacroBok wrote:
En WAT is jy oor Meyer? Blind sy imbongi.
Will jy se Jake White was gek on Sherrel Calder in te bring? Dat Meyer wel spelers kies wat nie die nodige skills het nie mis jy dalk. Waarom sal SA se bestes so swak hanteer? Hy kan die spel bepaal en hy kan enigiemand kies, so hy moet maar Pa staan vir sy manne.
Victoriabok wrote:
Nee my vriend jy maak n blunder om my aan te vat deur te se Meyer kan nie die Bokke nuwe skills leer nie. Ek wed jou geen Aussie of NZ speler stap in hul Nasionale span in en is klaar volmaak nie. Dit bly immers die coach se keuse wie hy kies. As n speler niks meer kan leer dan soek ek hom nie in die Bokspan nie.
Nou gaan meeste van die ouens my weer afkraak want niemand sal hul eie mind opmaak op hierdie site nie. Dis pateties om so gat gabba te wees.
MacroBok wrote:
268 @ cane:
Whingy,
Kenyan Sevens have regressed heavily under Paul Treu.
Juss simply compare their results of a couple of seasons ago to the recent results under Treu…
I’m not saying it’s all Paul Treu’s fault, there MUST definately be a number of contributing factors, whether it be that they are only students or whether it be that they cannot gel with a foreign coach or whatever other reason, it still does not change the fact that they have slumped a hell of a lot during Treu’s tenure.
Just an extra note on Paul Treu though, compared to now Blitzbokke coach Neil Powell… I think even you would agree that Neil Powell has brought a new sharper edge to the Blitzbokke, as well as a physical edge. Under Paul Treu we always lamented the fact that the Blitzbokke were speedy blokes but lacked physical presence… well now the Blitzbokke tackle like demons and have improved their breakdown skills hundred-fold.
Chaps like Kwagga Smith and Werner Kok, as well as unlikely fellows like Philip Snyman are tackling all sorts of shit out of the opposition and the Blitzbokke are playing a much better pressure defence game… in the opponents faces.
Yet the Blitzbokke have not reduced their speed merchants, in fact they have even managed to enhance that aspect.
I even think the Blitzbokke conditioning has improved and the Blitzbokke seem to be suffering less longer term injuries than before, as a result.
Whatever Neil Powell is doing, is working wonders, whereas everything Paul Treu seemed to do in the last few seasons with Kenya, seemed to increase the rot.
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