February 21 - The question on everyone's mind is whether the Springboks can hold
it together at next month's Hong Kong Sevens after their less than impressive
performance in San Diego last weekend.
The Springbok's loss in the quarterfinals of the International Rugby Board (IRB)
Sevens World Series hosted at PETCO Park in San Diego, California, shifted the
South Africans from joint-first to third.
The Springboks did win the Plate competition, however, bringing them to within four points
of the top two teams, New Zealand and Fiji. It was Fiji that proved triumphant
and clearly the team of the tournament, when it won the Cup title.
This means that both Fiji and New Zealand are joint leaders at the top of
the IRB Sevens standings with 60 points apiece, followed closely by the
Springboks who are on 56 points with four tournaments to go.
The Hong Kong Sevens offers more points than any other Sevens World Series
tournament, and a victory there for the Bokke will go a long way for both the
team's confidence as well as chances of winning the first ever Sevens
World Championship for South Africa.
See you in Hong Kong on March 30th for the Hong Kong Sevens kick-off!