Outgoing Blitzbok head coach Neil Powell has given his support to his eventual successor, offering some wise words of advice and confirming he will be available to help with the transition. DYLAN JACK reports.
Powell ended his 10-year stint as Blitzbok head coach at the Sevens World Cup in Cape Town and, while his final tournament was less than ideal, he will look back fondly on his time with the team.
“I would like to remember the wins, like our very first one in the World Series in Wellington, my very first one in South Africa as a coach, when we won in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium only a couple of days after President Mandela had passed away and, of course, the World Series wins, especially the second one in 2018, when we beat England in the last game of the series to be crowned champions,” said Powell.
“Then the Commonwealth gold wins also, but the thing I will treasure most will be the human beings I coached. I saw many of them develop into fantastic people and that was more important than gold.”
SA Rugby has yet to officially confirm who will be taking over as Springbok Sevens head coach but, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks, Renfred Dazel and Sandile Ngcobo are believed to be on the shortlist.
Powell confirmed he was consulted on who he would appoint as his successor but that the final decision was not his to make.
“It’s a bit above my pay grade. I got asked my opinion and gave them my opinion. But it was a decision that was taken by the [Saru] exco, the executive board.
“The successor is the right person for the job. He’s going to take Springbok Sevens to the next level.”
Having seen the highest of highs and some of the very deep lows with the Blitzboks, Powell was asked what advice he would give to whoever takes over.
“Stay away from social media,” Powell answered with a laugh. “It’s a tough job. A lot of people’s opinions do affect your focus, what you think of yourself, your system and your team. Just listen to the right people.
“Get someone outside the system that is not part of the success or the failure, who can give you perspective. In times of failure and success, you can lose perspective. In that respect, I would almost say that success is more dangerous than failure. It’s important to have somebody who keeps you honest and gives you that perspective. Someone who keeps you grounded and humble.”
Powell admitted that South Africans are going to have to stay patient with the Blitzboks as the team will enter into a bit of a rebuilding phase.
It’s not only Powell that will be leaving the team. JC Pretorius (Lions), Sako Makata (Griquas), Muller du Plessis (Sharks) and Angelo Davids (Stormers) are all set to play fifteens either this or next year.
“Any transition for any system is a challenging one,” said Powell. “There are structures and systems in place for them to continue, but with personnel and players leaving, it’s going to be a bit tricky. From my side, if there’s anything that I can help them with in terms of that transition, I would be glad to.
“There are a few quality players leaving: JC, Sako, Muller and Angelo. It is quite a big chunk of some of our more senior players. To be brutally honest, I think it will be a rebuilding phase for Springbok Sevens, to build towards the Olympics in two years from now.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
