Fiji today retained their “title” of bogey team to the Springbok Sevens team.  The BlitzBokke went down to the Islanders by 14 – 12.

While the difference in the end was a mere successful conversion by the Fijians, the winners will go into the scorers log as having made 26 effective tackles to South Africa’s 9.  What also went against the Bokke were some crucial decision-making, taking the ball inside when they should have taken the ball through the hands to their speedsters.

All said and done, coach Paul Treu should be satisfied with the progress his charges have made over the past 4 games.  The young players are adapting well to the rigours of international Sevens at this level, while at long last the more experienced Bokke are beginning to fulfill their leadership role.  The final two tournaments in London and Edinburgh should be another opportunity for the Springboks to gel as a unit before the new season.

South Africa still has a chance of winning some silverware when they play Kenya in the sime-finals of the Plate competition. 

The teams for the Cup semi-finals are:

Samoa vs. England (16:30 local time)

Fiji vs. New Zealand (16:52)

In the Plate semi-finals:

USA vs. Australia (15:46)

SA vs. Kenya (16:08)

A Saffa show’s his colors in Hong Kong (Pic: Mike Jansen)

The Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens kicks off at the Hong Kong Stadium on Friday March 26, 2010 and to get the locals into the Sevens Rugby spirit, local English-language TV station, Pearl TV has started screening the first 4 tournaments of the 2009/2010 IRB Sevens Series (Dubai, George, Wellington and Las Vegas).  Pearl TV is, of course the official broadcaster of the Hong Kong Sevens.

As we reported on before, the draw for the mens’ Sevens tournament has already taken place, while the organisers of the GFI HKFC Tens also announced their draw for the un-official kick-off tournament of the Hong Kong Sevens. BlitzBokke.com will attend the draw for the Womens’ Hong Kong Sevens at King’s Park tomorrow afternoon, so stay tuned.

Catch the spirit of the IRB Sevens World Series on Pearl Tv every Saturday at 8pm so…

Bring on Hong Kong Sevens!   

Ek lees vanoggend hierdie goeie nuus in the Kaap-Rapport:

(Scroll to the end of the page for an English translation. Story by Carryn-Anne Nel in Worcester, Picture by Lizane Louw)

’n Persoonlike deurbraak vir ’n Kapenaar – en dít met haar fluitjie.

Roslyn Fortuin (38), ’n skeidsregter van Worcester, blaas in Maart in haar eerste internasionale rugbywedstryd by die (Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse) Hongkong-sewestoernooi vir vroue. Dit vind saam met die manstoernooi van 26 tot 28 Maart plaas. Sy is die eerste Suid-Afrikaanse vrou wat in dié internasionale toernooi blaas.

Fortuin is tans die land se nommer een-vroueskeidsregter op die merietelys van die Suid-Afrikaanse Rugbyunie.

Dié klein bondel dinamiet, wat erken sy skrik vir g’n man of muis op die rugbyveld nie, sê dis ’n geleentheid waarvoor sy lank gewag het. Trouens, sy moet haarself af en toe knyp om seker te maak sy droom nie.

“Ek is nou nog geskok, dit het te gou gebeur,” vertel sy. “Ek glo in die Here en in sy plan vir my. Ons sê altyd ons wíl, maar die Here sit vir jou die pad uit.”

Sy het ook groot lof vir haar mentor, mnr. Ivan Pekeur, skeidsregtersontwikkelingsbeampte by die Boland-Rugbyunie, en mense soos Andre Watson.

Fortuin sê sy berei haar nou al voor vir dié big break. “Ek moet nou op my fiksste wees en al my rugbyreëls ken.”

Sy sien die toernooi veral as ’n geleentheid wat deure kan oopmaak vir ander Suid-Afrikaanse vroueskeidsregters.

Twaalf vrouespanne ding in die (Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse) Hongkong-sewestoernooi mee en Fortuin voorspel dat sy op ’n daaglikse basis seker vier keer vier gaan blaas. Elke wedstryd is 14 minute lank.

“Ek is nou opgewonde om internasionaal met ander vroue te kan meeding om my peil aan hulle s’n te meet.”

Enige skeidsregter moet maar taai wees. “Daar is nie plek vir sissies in die sport nie, jy moet leer om hare op jou tande te hê.

“Ek onderskei nie tussen mans en vroue nie. Die belangrikste is dat jy ’n aanvoeling vir die spel het.”

Pekeur sê hy is in die wolke oor die prestasie. “Verlede jaar dié tyd was Roslyn nog teen die planke. Sy het ’n besering gehad en het haar posisie op die ranglys verloor.

“Op ’n dag het sy vir my gesê sy wil ophou blaas, want daar is te veel faktore wat teen haar tel.”

Pekeur het haar daarna belowe as sy hard werk sál sy die nommer een in die land word. “Sy het vasgehou aan daardie hoop.”

Pekeur beskryf haar as ’n harde werker wat haar álles op die veld gee. “Ons volgende doelwit is om haar die beste vroueskeidsregter ter wêreld te maak. Roslyn het al die kwaliteite daarvoor.

“As sy op die wêreldverhoog gesien word, soos nou in Hongkong, sal sy uiteindelik die nommer een word.”

Fortuin verdien haar daaglikse brood as onderwyseres by die Eden-opleidingsentrum, ’n skool vir leerders met verstandelike gestremdhede.

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A personal breakthorugh for a Capetonian – with the use of her whistle.

Roslyn Fortuin (38), a referee hailing from (the Western Cape Town of) Worcester will be officiating in her first international rugby game at the (Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse) Hong Kong Sevens Tournament for women.  The tournament happens in the same week as the mens’ tournament from 26-28 March 2010.

Roslyn will be the first female South African to take up the whistle at this event.  She is also the number one ranked women’s referee on the South African Rugby Union’s order of merit.

According to Fortuin this is an opportunity that she has waited for a long time.  “I am still  overwhelmed by this opportunity and have to pinch myself often to make sure I’m not dreaming,” she gushes.  “I believe in God and His plan for me.  One tends to say I WANT but God determines your path in life.”

Fortuin, who is a teacher at the Eden Training Centre, a school for mentally challenged kids, ascribes much of her success to Mr Ivan Pekeur, the Boland Rugby Union’s referees development officer as well as SARU’smanager of referees Mr Andre Watson.

While waiting for her international debut, Roslyn Fortuin will make sure that she is at her fittest and that she knows all her rugby rules.

Twelve womens team will take part in the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens and Fortuin thinks that she will probably officiate in about four games per day.  Every game lasts for 14 minutes.

“I am very excited at the prospect of officiating on the international stage and to see how I measure up to the other international referees.” Fortuin says.  “Every referee has to be rather tough.  There is no place for cry-babies in sport.”

She continues: “I don’t differenciate between men’s and women’s referees.  The most important aspect is to have a feel for the game.”

He mentor Ivan Pekeur says he too is excited over Fortuin’s achievement.  “This time last year Roslyn had quite a setback.  She was injured and subsequently lost her position on SARU order of merit.  One day she told me that she wanted to stop refereeing because there were to many thing that counted against her.”

He then promised her that if she works hard, she WILL become the number-one ranked referee in South Africa.  “She clung to that wish,”  Pekeur added and continues: “Roslyn is a hardworker and gives only her best on the pitch.  “Our next aim is to make her the best women’s referee in the world.  Roslyn has all the qualities to become just that.”

“When she gets noticed on the international scene, like when makes her international appearance in Hong Kong, she will eventually become number one.”

South Africa will be determined to build on their improved performance in Las Vegas when the Springbok Sevens team contests the next two IRB Sevens World Series tournaments in Australia and Hong Kong next month.

In previous years, the IRB Sevens World Series resumed with the Hong Kong Sevens following the USA-leg, moving on to Adelaide a week later.  However, this year around, the tournaments are reversed with Hong Kong following a week after the Aussie Sevens.  The Adelaide Oval is home to the Australian leg, on 19– 21 March, while the popular Hong Kong Sevens will be staged from 26 – 28 March at the 40 000-seater Hong Kong Stadium.

South Africa has never before been victorious in a Cup Final in Hong Kong.  The only Hong Kong silverware they have managed to capture to date was the Plate Final back in 2002.   For some reason, a week after Hong Kong, the Springboks are always in better nick in time for the Australian Sevens.  Treu’s team defended their Adelaide crown successfully last season and will be aiming for more of the same in a month’s time.

With the tournaments reversed this time around, we hold thumbs that the BlitzBokke will save their best for Hong Kong and that they can at last make the large number of expatriate Saffas and the many who will fly in from home, proud of the Green & Gold.

South Africa lost the Hong Kong Cup Final last year against Fiji.  BlitzBokke.com was sitting in the Media Box at the Final last year, and few would have noticed our coach’s profound disappointment while the Fijians and their fans were celebrating:

The team returned home last week and are enjoying a short break before resuming training on 1 March in Stellenbosch in preparation for the Adelaide and Hong Kong tournaments.

Mzwandile Stick, stand-in captain in place of the injured Delport, said the team is now determined to build on their performance in the USA.

“In Sevens you must always be prepared to start from afresh, because it is natural for players to move on to Super Rugby or our provincial teams. In saying that, it also opened the door to new guys like Cecil Afrika, Steven Hunt and Branco du Preez to come and show us what they’re capable of.

“Cecil has been outstanding so far, while the rest of the newcomers now all have experience of World Series action, which will only benefit us going forward.

“As a team we’re obviously not pleased with seventh place on the log and our overall performance so far. However, we are working very hard to eliminate those marginal errors and hopefully our Plate victory in Las Vegas will kick-start a better run of results for us,” said Stick.

This is how the Cup Final of the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong ended last year: