It was a year to forget for South African rugby. Well, not quite, because there were a handful of highlights, but if we judge the success of a year on what the national side does, then it was a season we’d rather not want to revisit.
The Springboks ensured 2016 was a flop.
Allister Coetzee’s team managed four wins in 12 matches for a 33% win record, leaving him and his support staff without many supporters as the new year approaches.
Record losses against the All Blacks, Argentina and Italy hurt the Boks and several players’ reputations and while the team won twice against Ireland in June to save the series and against Argentina (in Nelspruit) and Australia (in Pretoria), there is little to be excited about.
The Boks’ woes started last year at the World Cup when Heyneke Meyer’s team succumbed to Japan and it got worse as the 2016 season unfolded.
It became so bad that an indaba was called to rectify the problems and it is now hoped that with a review process being done, matters will improve next year.
South Africans will also be eager to find out who will next lead the Boks as Adriaan Strauss shocked the nation midway through the year when he announced he’d sign off at the end of the year.
There were not too many players who stood out over the season, with many youngsters getting their first taste of Test rugby, but SA Rugby Player of the Year, Pieter-Steph du Toit was fully deserving of his award, the lock producing performances that were much better than those of his teammates.
South Africa’s other major “export”, the Blitzboks, enjoyed a good run in the World Sevens Series, but they never really threatened Fiji, who took the title; Neil Powell’s men finishing runners-up in three tournaments. They did, however, win their home event in Cape Town.
With much of the focus during the year being on the Olympics, the Sevens team chopped and changes personnel throughout the season, but in Rio they’d also come up short, having to settle for the bronze medal.
Seabelo Senatla was at least named World Player of the Year, deservedly so.
In Super Rugby, the Lions of Johan Ackermann proved a cut above the rest locally as Warren Whiteley led his men to the final for the first time.
The Lions played wonderful, attacking rugby that brought them many more wins than before and they also beat the Crusaders and Highlanders in the play-offs to qualify for the final. They, however, had to travel to Wellington, New Zealand, to take on the Hurricanes and came unstuck in the wind and rain.
How Ackermann will rue taking a weakened side to Argentina to face the Jaguares in their last round-robin game and losing, a result which cost the Joburg team a chance of hosting the final.
But it was nevertheless a solid showing by the Joburgers who produced several Springboks during the year and were named Team of the Year, while Ackermann picked up his second straight Coach of the Year award.
In the Currie Cup, the Cheetahs bounced back from a poor Super Rugby showing to win the title, Franco Smith’s men overcoming the Bulls in Bloemfontein.
It was an unbeaten run to the trophy, with several players standing out, among them Uzair Cassiem, Niel Marais, Nico Lee and captain Francois Venter. Wing Sergeal Petersen also provided some fireworks over the course of the competition.
Sadly, boardroom matters also found their way into the headlines, with former Saru president Oregan Hoskins calling quits on his time in charge of rugby, with Mark Alexander taking over.
Chief executive Jurie Roux’s case with Stellenbosch University, involving unauthorised transfers, received plenty of attention and will likely do so again in 2017.