Sport24.co.za today reported that “The Springbok Sevens received a further setback in the title defence of their Adelaide Sevens crown when it was learned that coach Paul Treu will only join the team on Friday when the tournament starts.”

However, at BlitzBokke.com HQ we believe that as a mentor, the Coach set an excellent example for his charges by putting his family before any work commitments when he chose to remain at home to be at his mother’s side in hospital.

Sport24 goes on to say:

It was a tough decision for Treu to make, as the team was already disrupted this week by the loss of stand-in captain Mzwandile Stick, who injured his knee in a practice session and was forced to withdraw from the two tournaments in Adelaide and Hong Kong.

“It was a very difficult decision for me to take, but my family comes first and this is where I’m needed at the moment,” Treu said, “I will hopefully be able to join the team before the start of the tournament but it is very difficult not to get onto that plane tonight.”

In Treu’s absence, the team’s internal player leadership will run the practice sessions, under the watchful eye of Treu’s management team, which for this tournament will also include former Reds skills coach and Australian touch rugby expert Jason Stanton.

We hope all BlitzBokke fans our there join us when we say: We respect your decision Coach and wish the Antie all the best.

Mike Jansen

(Read the report on Sport24.co.za here)