Now that the Blitzboks have risen to the summit of the HSBC World Sevens Series‚ a new goal will be to stay there because next season presents massive challenges.
The Sevens World Cup takes place in San Francisco in 2018‚ in a season which also includes the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast‚ where SA are reigning champions.
Blitzboks fifth in London but still winnersThe Blitzboks didn’t finish a triumphant season with a tournament win‚ but in the greater scheme of things a fifth place finish at the London leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series was academic.
After such a dominant season‚ the Blitzboks have set a high standard that all teams will be chasing.
Neil Powell’s side have set a new bar with unprecedented consistency‚ coupled with ruthlessness in 2016/17.
Over the past five years since the appeal of sevens has grown with its introduction as an Olympic Sport‚ no side has been as consistent.
The Blitzboks claimed five of the 10 titles this season‚ and also made eight finals. They won 82% of their matches – 49 out of 60 with 10 defeats and a draw – and collected 192 log points.
Nearest challengers England lost 14 of their 58 matches with two draws for a 72% winning ratio while Olympic champions Fiji lost 16 of their 58 matches with one draw – a 71% winning ratio.
Chris Dry and Rosko Specman were also both included in the sevens Dream Team named after the final leg in London.
The rest of the team comprised of two Fijians - Kalione Nasoko and Jerry Tuwai - two Americans - Danny Barrett and Perry Baker - as well as England’s Dan Norton.
*The Dates for the 2017/2018 World Sevens Series have been confirmed by World Rugby with Cape Town set for December 9 and 10. It is the second leg of the series following Dubai a week earlier.
After years of dismal attendances‚ Wellington in New Zealand has lost out on hosting the fourth leg of the series.
That will move to Hamilton.
Teams participating in the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia in mid-April will travel via the Hong Kong tournament‚ which takes place on 6-8 April. The series resumes in Singapore on 28-29 April.
With player welfare considerations at the forefront of schedule planning‚ rest weeks mean the Paris Sevens takes place later than usual on 26-27 May‚ before teams travel to London where the season will come to a crescendo in Twickenham on 2-3 June.
After the end of series‚ the focus will turn to the west coast of the USA on 20-22 July for Rugby World Cup Sevens at the iconic AT&T Park‚ home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team.
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2017-18 Dates:
Dubai: 1-2 December‚ 2017
Cape Town: 9-10 December
Sydney: 26-28 January‚ 2018
Hamilton: 3-4 February
Las Vegas: 2-4 March
Vancouver: 10-11 March
Hong Kong: 6-8 April
(Commonwealth Games 2018‚ Gold Coast: 14-15 April)
Singapore: 28-29 April
Paris: 26-27 May
London: 2-3 June
(Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018‚ San Francisco: 20-22 July - TMG Digital/TMG Sport Blitzbokke meet with Tom Cruise after world series triumphA South African stuntman made it mission possible for the Blitzbokke to meet Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise after they clinched the World Rugby Sevens Series in Paris last weekend.Blitzbokke meet with Tom Cruise after world series triumphA South African stuntman made it mission possible for the Blitzbokke to meet Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise after they clinched the World Rugby Sevens Series in Paris last weekend.Bulls throw highly-rated Maxwane into the Lions denBulls coach Nollis Marais will unleash highly-rated 21-year-old winger Sibahle Maxwane in their Super Rugby clash against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.No coronation for Blitzboks in LondonThe Blitzboks won’t treat the final leg of the 2016/17 HSBC World Sevens Series in London as a coronation‚ but rather as a tournament that has to be won.No coronation for Blitzboks in LondonThe Blitzboks won’t treat the final leg of the 2016/17 HSBC World Sevens Series in London as a coronation‚ but rather as a tournament that has to be won.Sonny Bill to be unleashed on reshuffled StormersBlues and All Black superstar Sonny Bill Williams will start against the Stormers on Friday night after being cleared of concussion.
Blitzboks' next challenge is to stay at the top
Now that the Blitzboks have risen to the summit of the HSBC World Sevens Series‚ a new goal will be to stay there because next season presents massive challenges.
The Sevens World Cup takes place in San Francisco in 2018‚ in a season which also includes the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast‚ where SA are reigning champions.
After such a dominant season‚ the Blitzboks have set a high standard that all teams will be chasing.
Neil Powell’s side have set a new bar with unprecedented consistency‚ coupled with ruthlessness in 2016/17.
Over the past five years since the appeal of sevens has grown with its introduction as an Olympic Sport‚ no side has been as consistent.
Blitzbokke meet with Tom Cruise after world series triumph A South African stuntman made it mission possible for the Blitzbokke to meet Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise after they clinched the World Rugby Sevens Series in Paris last weekend. Blitzbokke meet with Tom Cruise after world series triumph A South African stuntman made it mission possible for the Blitzbokke to meet Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise after they clinched the World Rugby Sevens Series in Paris last weekend. Bulls throw highly-rated Maxwane into the Lions den Bulls coach Nollis Marais will unleash highly-rated 21-year-old winger Sibahle Maxwane in their Super Rugby clash against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon. No coronation for Blitzboks in London The Blitzboks won’t treat the final leg of the 2016/17 HSBC World Sevens Series in London as a coronation‚ but rather as a tournament that has to be won. No coronation for Blitzboks in London The Blitzboks won’t treat the final leg of the 2016/17 HSBC World Sevens Series in London as a coronation‚ but rather as a tournament that has to be won. Sonny Bill to be unleashed on reshuffled Stormers Blues and All Black superstar Sonny Bill Williams will start against the Stormers on Friday night after being cleared of concussion.
The Blitzboks claimed five of the 10 titles this season‚ and also made eight finals. They won 82% of their matches – 49 out of 60 with 10 defeats and a draw – and collected 192 log points.
Nearest challengers England lost 14 of their 58 matches with two draws for a 72% winning ratio while Olympic champions Fiji lost 16 of their 58 matches with one draw – a 71% winning ratio.
Chris Dry and Rosko Specman were also both included in the sevens Dream Team named after the final leg in London.
The rest of the team comprised of two Fijians - Kalione Nasoko and Jerry Tuwai - two Americans - Danny Barrett and Perry Baker - as well as England’s Dan Norton.
*The Dates for the 2017/2018 World Sevens Series have been confirmed by World Rugby with Cape Town set for December 9 and 10. It is the second leg of the series following Dubai a week earlier.
After years of dismal attendances‚ Wellington in New Zealand has lost out on hosting the fourth leg of the series.
That will move to Hamilton.
Teams participating in the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia in mid-April will travel via the Hong Kong tournament‚ which takes place on 6-8 April. The series resumes in Singapore on 28-29 April.
With player welfare considerations at the forefront of schedule planning‚ rest weeks mean the Paris Sevens takes place later than usual on 26-27 May‚ before teams travel to London where the season will come to a crescendo in Twickenham on 2-3 June.
After the end of series‚ the focus will turn to the west coast of the USA on 20-22 July for Rugby World Cup Sevens at the iconic AT&T Park‚ home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team.
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2017-18 Dates:
Dubai: 1-2 December‚ 2017
Cape Town: 9-10 December
Sydney: 26-28 January‚ 2018
Hamilton: 3-4 February
Las Vegas: 2-4 March
Vancouver: 10-11 March
Hong Kong: 6-8 April
(Commonwealth Games 2018‚ Gold Coast: 14-15 April)
Singapore: 28-29 April
Paris: 26-27 May
London: 2-3 June
(Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018‚ San Francisco: 20-22 July - TMG Digital/TMG Sport
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