Share

Treu: Season was a success

London - Springbok Sevens coach Paul Treu heaped praise on his squad after South Africa finished in second place in the 2012/13 Sevens World Series.

New Zealand won the series, with Fiji coming in third.

The team needed to make the Cup quarter-finals in the last tournament of the current series, the London Sevens, to secure the second spot on the final log.

Results from the London Sevens

This was done on Saturday in pool play with wins over Australia and France and although the team lost 19-14 to England in extra time of their Cup quarter-final and 22-5 to the USA in the Plate semi-final on Sunday, Treu was a very happy coach.

“Obviously the aim was to win the series, but a range of crippling injuries and some inconsistent performances in Dubai, Wellington and Hong Kong cost us. It was very special though to be the only team on the circuit to win three tournaments and the only one to win consecutive ones,” Treu said.

South Africa finished fifth last year and Treu attributed the improvement to the players commitment and hard work.

“We lost so many players due to injury at crucial times, but still the squad kept on working hard to achieve the results. We had our two main playmakers, Cecil Afrika and Branco du Preez available for only four tournaments this year. The fact that we used 25 players is testament to the injury problems we had.”

Eight players debuted during the current Sevens World Series.

“I am pleased for the new guys and it is building depth with regards to the future. The series was tougher than ever and for us to win three tournaments was special. I believe our season was a success,” Treu said.

The players used were Chris Dry, Philip Snyman, Frankie Horne, Warren Whiteley, Cornal Hendricks, Kyle Brown, Stephan Dippenaar, Paul Delport, Tshotsho Mbovane, Steven Hunt, Bernado Botha, Cheslin Kolbe, Cecil Afrika, Jamba Ulengo, Pieter Engelbrecht, Brando du Preez, Ruwellyn Isbell*, Seabelo Senatla*, Justin Geduld*, Warren Whiteley*, Werner Kok*, Reuben Johannes*, Kevin Luiters* and WJ Strydom* (debutants).

Milestones of the series are:

• South Africa winning three tournaments in Las Vegas, Tokyo and Glasgow

• Frankie Horne extended the South African career record for tournament to 50. They were all consecutive, another milestone.

• Cornal Hendricks finished the season as the team’s leading try scorer with 38 tries, fourth on the overall list behind Brent Russell (46), Fabian Juries (41) and Cecil Afrika (40). His 190 points was also the most by any player this season.

• Kevin Luiters, Ruwellyn Isbell, Seabelo Senatla, Justin Geduld, Warren Whiteley, Werner Kok, Reuben Johannes and WJ Strydom all made their debuts for South Africa during the series.

Results on Sunday in the London Sevens at Twickenham, the last leg of the Sevens World Series:

Cup

Quarter-finals

New Zealand 52, Argentina 7

Kenya 20, Fiji 7

Australia 24, United States 19

England 19, South Africa 14, ET

Semi-finals

New Zealand 7, Kenya 0

Australia 14, England 7

Third place playoff

England 26, Kenya 19

Final

New Zealand 47, Australia 12

Plate

Semi-finals

Fiji 26, Argentina 12

United States 22, South Africa 5

Final

Fiji 14, United States 5

Bowl

Semi-finals

Wales 21, Samoa 12

France 28, Canada 14

Final

Wales 19, France 7

Final series standings:

1. New Zealand, 173 points

2. South Africa, 132

3. Fiji, 121

4. Samoa, 104

5. Kenya, 99

6. England, 92

7. Wales, 91

8. Australia, 89

9. France, 87

10. Argentina, 84


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1271 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2240 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE