All Blacks take out South Africa Sevens

Updated December 10, 2012 10:54:06

New Zealand triumphed over France with a thrilling 47-12 win to clinch the third leg of the IRB Sevens World Series for the fourth consecutive time in South Africa on Sunday.

The All Blacks scored seven tries thanks to a hat-trick from Kurt Baker, the biggest scorer in the tournament, in the final.

France, exhausted from a 25-minute 10-7 semi-final against Argentina, proved no match for the Kiwis, scoring only two tries in the deciding game.

Their first victory in three finals this season extends the All Blacks' lead in the series to 60 points, 14 ahead of second-placed France.

It was a fitting birthday present for New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens, who turned 57 on Sunday.

"I had a lot of luck with the teams over the last four years, to win here on my birthday, but I just feel for the players. They performed magnificently today," he said.

"We were beaten by a good Samoan team at the last tournament in Dubai, beaten by Fiji in Australia so we had to win this one."

He had empathy for the worn-out French side.

"They're probably harder done by in terms of having to play just about an extra game when they had to go into extra time," he said.

The game is now on to defend their home title in the series' fourth leg in New Zealand in February next year.

"There's always pressure to win your own tournament. You can ask South Africa today," said Tietjens, adding that the side needed to rest first.

"We've got to get through Christmas and hopefully recover injuries. The guys took a few knocks over the last two weeks."

After winning only one game in the pool stages, France fought back to come in second.

Coach Frederic Pommarel was happy with his side's performance, though he conceded a few areas needed work.

"I'm very proud of the players, but I think we didn't develop a very good attacking game. Defensively I have some big fighters," he said.

In their semi-final match New Zealand beat South Africa 12-5, coming from 5-0 behind thanks to a try from Tomasi Cama, who also dealt the death blow to the hosts' dreams of home victory in last year's final.

Losing after coming so close to the final was tough for coach Paul Treu.

"It was very disappointing," he said.

"We had our chances and so did they, with the only difference that New Zealand took the one that mattered."

The Blitzbokke went on to a 35-0 victory over Argentina in the third-place play-off courtesy of a hat-trick from Cheslin Kolbe.

Defending Sevens world champion Wales took the Plate with a convincing 26-14 win over Fiji, the winner of this season's first leg.

Portugal, the only team besides South Africa to win all three of its pool matches, bowed to Fiji in the Plate semi-finals, after it was relegated following a 10-7 defeat to France in the Cup quarter finals.

A young Australian side took the Bowl with four tries to score 26-14 against second-leg winner in Dubai, Samoa.

Two tries from Pedro Martin gave Spain the edge in a 21-14 win over Zimbabwe for the Shield.

AFP

Tags: rugby-7, rugby-union, sport, south-africa

First posted December 10, 2012 10:54:06

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Habana voted South Africa's top player

Updated November 02, 2012 09:17:44

Springbok wing Bryan Habana has named the South African rugby player of the year, becoming only the second man to win the award more than twice.

The 29-year-old, hampered by an injured knee, limped onto the stage with the help of crutches to accept the award for the third time after having also been voted number one by the rugby media in 2005 and 2007.

His striking form helped his team, the Cape Town-based Western Province, win the Currie Cup last Saturday, while his seven tries for the national side in 2012 bring his national record tally to 47.

Habana's hat-trick against Australia in Pretoria in September brought the home team a 31-8 victory in the Rugby Championship.

He also was recognised for Try of the Year after bursting past the All Blacks defence to score in Dunedin, also in September.

"It's a very humbling experience," he said, accepting the award after doubt had previously been cast on his performances.

"I never really doubted myself but when these questions come about you just have to work harder," he added.

"Hopefully I'll leave the jersey in a better place than I received it."

Habana's three player of the year awards are second only to former Springbok fly-half Naas Botha. Now a television analyst with the Johannesburg-based SuperSport channel, Botha won the award four times.

Habana, whose first names were inspired by former Manchester United footballers Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey, received the accolade at the awards ceremony in a Cape Town International Airport hangar, five days after helping his side claim the Currie Cup title for the first time in 11 years.

Western Province's Eben Etzebeth, Sharks fly-half Patrick Lambie and teammates JP Pietersen and skipper Keegan Daniel were the other finalists.

The Sharks won the Team of the Year title after reaching both Currie Cup and Super 15 finals, with awards also for captain and loose forward Daniel (Super 15 Player of the Year), Pietersen (Players' Player of the Year) and coach John Plumtree.

New Springbok lock Etzebeth won the poll for Young Player of the Year after the 21-year-old's sterling performance in Tests against New Zealand, Australia, England and Argentina barely 18 months after playing in university leagues.

South African award winners:

Player of the Year: Bryan Habana (Western Province)

Players' Player of the Year: JP Pietersen (Sharks)

Super 15 Player of the Year: Keegan Daniel (Sharks)

Currie Cup Player of the Year: Deon Fourie (Western Province)

Young Player of the Year: Eben Etzebeth

Coach of the Year: John Plumtree (Sharks)

Team of the Year: Sharks

AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, south-africa

First posted November 02, 2012 09:17:44

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South African sides fight for survival

Updated February 23, 2012 20:48:44

Springbok legends Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Fourie du Preez and John Smit will be notable absentees as South African sides prepare for a Super Rugby competition that could end with one of them in the wilderness.

The Port Elizabeth-based Southern Kings are guaranteed a place next year and if South African attempts to increase the number of teams to 16 fail, one of the current five must drop out with potentially crippling financial consequences.

Former champions the Bulls, the Stormers and the Sharks are considered the strongest trio, leaving the Cheetahs and the Lions in a possible dogfight to avoid relegation by finishing last in the conference.

The Pretoria-based Bulls will field a dramatically different team from that which won three titles in the past five seasons with iconic lock Matfield retiring and many other stars moving abroad.

Fellow lock Botha, prop Gurthro Steenkamp and hooker Gary Botha have gone to France and half-back Du Preez and lock Danie Rossouw to Japan while several others have retired, stripping them of key experience for the tournament, which starts on Friday.

An additional blow was the recent appointment of Heyneke Meyer as Springbok coach after playing a crucial role in the rise of the Bulls during the past decade, first as coach and then director of rugby.

Many former Bulls fringe players now have the chance to become first choices, including scrum-half Francois Hougaard, prop Dean Greyling and hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle while Juandre Kruger is a potential successor to Matfield.

Stormers, the Cape Town franchise who were runners-up two seasons ago and semi-finalists last year, has also suffered from an exodus with far higher salaries abroad than those on offer locally.

Springbok Jaque Fourie has moved to Japan, full-back Conrad Jantjes and lock Anton van Zyl to France, lock Adriaan Fondse and flank Francois Louw to England, and others have new South African employers.

These include highly rated Bulls-bound centre Johann Sadie, leaving coach Allister Coetzee short of midfield cover for Jean de Villiers and Juan de Jongh, who has deployed Springbok World Cup-winning wing Bryan Habana there.

There are no backline problems for the Sharks who boasts an embarrassment of riches and young play-anywhere Patrick Lambie is set to wear the number 10 jersey with Frenchman Frederic Michalak operating at half-back.

But New Zealand-born coach John Plumtree must do without popular Springbok prop Tendai "The Beast" Mtawarira for up to four months after a training ground injury in the Indian Ocean city of Durban.

With 2007 World Cup-winning skipper Smit in the winter of his career at English outfit Saracens, livewire Bismarck du Plessis can take permanent ownership of the hooker position with brother Jannie at tighthead.

Traditional strugglers Cheetahs from the central city of Bloemfontein improved last year, winning in Australasia for the first time and defeating eventual champions the Crusaders at home.

But no close season passes without some of their best players being lured away - scrum-half Sarel Pretorius has joined New South Wales and utility back Riaan Viljoen is now a Shark.

Debt-troubled Golden Lions from Johannesburg hopes to build on winning the Currie Cup last year under former All Blacks coach John Mitchell with young Elton Jantjies an inventive fly-half and deadly goal kicker.

But the team, led by flank Josh Strauss, is most pundits' tip to anchor the South African Conference standings and relegation would be calamitous for a franchise reportedly $9 million dollars in the red.

AFP

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, south-africa

First posted February 23, 2012 19:13:05

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South Africa approves Kings for Super Rugby

Updated January 28, 2012 10:33:38

One of South Africa's existing teams in the Super Rugby competition faces the axe after the Southern Kings secured a place in the tournament from 2013, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) said.

The inclusion of the Kings, who hail from Eastern Cape - the hotbed of black rugby, has left the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls, Cheetahs and Lions facing an uncertain future.

One of the five teams will be out of the lucrative tournament unless SARU can convince SANZAR (South Africa-New Zealand-Australia Rugby) to allow a sixth South African team to play in the competition.

"The Kings' place in the Super Rugby competition in 2013 was confirmed by the general council, who gave it 100 per cent support," SARU chief executive Jurie Roux told a news conference.

"A final decision on the fate of the other five franchises will be made at a special general meeting on March 30 after the council has considered recommendations by the unions. There are a number of options, including asking SANZAR to include a sixth South African team."

The Southern Kings inclusion in Super Rugby has been backed by politicians and those unhappy with the pace of transformation in South African rugby.

None of their constituent teams - Eastern Province, South-Western Districts and Border - play in the premier division of South Africa's domestic Currie Cup competition.

Eastern Province were beaten 43-12 by Boland in last year's first division final.

Reuters

Tags: super-14, rugby-union, sport, south-africa

First posted January 28, 2012 10:33:38

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