Blitzbokke win London Sevens
by Brenden Nel 22 May 2011, 21:42
The Springbok Sevens team produced an exceptional comeback after a poor start, scoring 24 unanswered points to beat Fiji and claim the Emirates Airline London Sevens crown.
It was an amazing feat considering the Blitzbokke lost to the Fijians in pool play on Saturday night, and started in the worst possible way, conceding a try from the kickoff and going 14-0 down shortly afterwards.
But once their composure was regained, Kyle Brown and his Blitzbok warriors produced a tactical performance that will be spoken about for months to come as they outthought, outmanoeuvred and outplayed their more fancied opposition to claim the title.
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In fact, in a game where skill and speed is so apparent, it was a worthy reminder that the basics of rugby still apply, and it was here that coach Paul Treu was instrumental in instilling a perfect counter for the Fijians' unpredictability.
The Blitzbokke chose not to play the game at speed and on the fringes, knowing the Fijians are good at the breakdown, feed off errors and have the capability to beat you with the subtle step.
Instead, the Blitzbokke kept it close, opting for short passes on the inside, playing around the fringes to fight their way back into contention.
And when they got their noses in front, they strangled the Fijian possession, and employed some strange and different tactics to ensure a famous victory at the HQ of rugby.
The last time the Blitzbokke won in London was six years ago, on a night where the fancy footwork of Sevens genius Fabian Juries gave them a breathtaking touchline try to beat New Zealand.
This time around it was more tactics, hard graft and the unconventional seven-man lineout and driving maul that shut the Fijians down. It may not be a long term strategy and may be seen as negative by some purists, but on a night where the trophy was at stake, it certainly paid dividends.
Considering Fiji had demolished New Zealand in their semifinal -- with the All Blacks being crowned World Series champions earlier in the day -- makes this win more than just satisfying. The Blitzbokke had to scrape home 21-19 against a charged up Welsh side in their semi.
But back to the final, and the Fijians had the best possible start -- attacking with gusto from the start. It took Watisoni Votu just 26 seconds to put them on the board as the South Africans looked shellshocked.
Not getting any grace from referee Andrew Lees early on, the Blitzbokke had to watch as Fiji extended their lead through Livai Ikanikoda, who took the ball from a suspiciously offside position with the referee ignoring the infringement.
However, the Blitzbokke were down but certainly not out, and finally getting their hands on the ball, chose to frustrate the Fijians by keeping the ball away from them as they clawed their way back into the game.
The first time they used the short inside pass it breached the defence, and a few passes later Boom Prinsloo, who had an exceptional tournament, had taken the telling pass to put them on the board.
What made Prinsloo’s try all the more special is not only did it signal the turning of the tide, but it was also done while playmaker Cecil Afrika was off the field for blood after being hit on the nose.
The same interplay was the basis for Bernardo Botha’s try just before the break where the Blitzbokke turned 14-10 behind.
Botha scored a second to put the Blitzbokke into the lead and with their noses in front they closed it down, perplexing the Fijians with two seven-man lineout drives, which ultimately set up Steven Hunt’s try in the corner.
Hunt may have scored the winning try, but his effort on defence, especially coming across to tackle Nikola Manawatu when he was on his way to score, was a telling moment in the game.
The Blitzbokke now head to Scotland, six points behind England in the World Series standings. If they can back this tournament win up with a similarly impressive performance they can end second behind New Zealand in the final standings.
On this form there are few that will doubt they can do it.
RESULTS
CUP FINAL
South Africa 24, Fiji 14
SEMIFINALS
Fiji 42, New Zealand 19
South Africa 21, Wales 19
QUARTERFINALS
New Zealand 31, Argentina 14
Fiji 26, Samoa 14
South Africa 17, Australia 0
Wales 19, France 12
PLATE FINAL
Samoa 22, Australia 12
SEMIFINALS
Samoa 38, Argentina 0
Australia 19, France 0
BOWL FINAL
Scotland 21, Kenya 19
SEMIFINALS
Kenya 19, Russia 15
Scotland 19, Spain 17
QUARTERFINALS
Spain 14, United States 0
Scotland 26, Portugal 0
Russia 15, Canada 12
Kenya 19, England 17
SHIELD FINAL
England 22, Portugal 7
SEMIFINALS
Portugal 21, United States 15
England 22, Canada 14