Social media has been abuzz about saying goodbye to a “horrific” 2016, especially considering the deaths of a number of celebrities, the latest being Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds and George Michael.
The Springboks and Bafana Bafana would probably feel the same way about the year that’s passed, after both teams suffered on and off the field.
The Proteas, on the other hand, wouldn’t have minded to continue the second half of 2016, having won in Australia and whitewashed the same team in ODIs at home.
Our athletics team as well, with gold to Wayde van Niekerk and Caster Semenya at the Rio Olympics, can look back fondly on the last 12 months.
Let’s take a look at what 2016 was about for South African sport, and what should happen in 2017...
Bad
* You might think Bafana should head up this section, but that dubious honour is reserved for the Springboks.
It was their worst year statistically in history as they lost eight out of 12 Tests. New coach Allister Coetzee got off to the worst possible start when his team lost their opening game to Ireland at Newlands, and even though they won the series 2-1, things didn’t much better after that.
Losses to Argentina away and England, Italy and Wales rounded off a disastrous year for Coetzee, whose team never looked like they were playing towards a clear plan. His selections were also questionable throughout, and the pressure ramped up for him to be fired.
But it looks like he will survive the chop in January due to a combination of factors such as financial, a lack of a suitable replacement, and the fact that he was appointed only two months before the Irish series.
* Bafana Bafana weren’t far behind, with Shakes Mashaba eventually being fired in December after they failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations, and flattered to deceive in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. A victory in their most recent qualifier against Senegal in November wasn’t enough to save him.
* In cricket, it was a tumultuous start to the year, with the Proteas in disarray. They lost the Test series to England, and Hashim Amla resigned as captain. AB de Villiers took over, but little did he know that he would only be in charge for two Tests before Faf du Plessis became the permanent skipper later in the year.
The Proteas went on to be knocked out in the ICC World T20 in the group stage, and also didn’t reach the final of a triangular ODI series in the West Indies.
Coach Russell Domingo’s job was on the line in the winter, but things turned around in the months ahead.
Better
* The Blitzboks just missed out on the World Series title, finishing second to Fiji by 10 points. Unfortunately for Kyle Brown and his team, it was a similar outcome at the Rio Olympics, where they lost 7-5 to Great Britain in the semi-final and missed out on a shot at a gold medal. At least they got bronze…
It was a mixed bag at the Olympics overall, as apart from the gold won by Wayde van Niekerk and Caster Semenya, there wasn’t any other golden moments in Brazil. Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos both won silvers, but couldn’t quite match their exploits at the 2012 London Games, while Henri Schoeman grabbed an unexpected bronze in the triathlon.
* Rowers Shaun Keeling and Lawrence Brittain fought hard to take silver, while Luvo Manyonga and Sunette Viljoen were beaten in the last round into second place in Rio. Team South Africa won 10 medals in total, matching their best ever haul.
Great
* Here’s one for a sport outside the “Big Four”. Brad Binder has done the hard yards in motorcycling, spending a few years in the bottom rungs of Moto3. But the 21-year-old has shown that those tough times were worth it when he clinched the world title with four races to go. Now it’s Moto2 up next.
* South African football doesn’t often give us joy, but Mamelodi Sundowns changed the status quo by conquering Africa for the first time. They had lost in the 2001 final, but Pitso Mosimane’s bunch of winners weren’t going to be denied this time, despite the laser onslaught from the Zamalek supporters in Alexandria in Egypt.
* The Proteas came back from a winter of discontent to get past New Zealand in August, followed by a first ever 5-0 ODI series whitewash of Australia. But the big one was the Tests Down Under, and Faf du Plessis’ band of warriors secured a third consecutive Test win in Australia.
* After all the conjecture of all those years ago, Caster Semenya thought the debate about her gender would be over. But the rest of the world didn’t want to believe that a South African woman from rural Limpopo could be a world-beater, so they dredged up the old debate again.
And this time, some of the athletes got involved too. But Semenya showed her class to romp home for gold in the 800m.
* Wayde van Niekerk wasn’t supposed to win the 400m Olympic crown, let alone break Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old world record. He wasn’t the fastest in 2016, and had a bad draw in lane eight. And there was a niggling back injury.
It meant that the 24-year-old would be “running blind”, unsure of where main rivals Kirani James and LaShawn Merritt were. So Van Niekerk put his head down, and ran for his life. Exactly 43.03 seconds later, his life changed forever…
What about 2017?
The Proteas have a shot at the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June, followed by a full tour of the same country, while Bafana Bafana will have a new coach that will try to ensure qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Wayde and Caster will headline the world athletics championship in London in August, and Luvo Manyonga would want to go a step further for gold.
But the biggest question about 2017 will be: Are the Springboks still a serious rugby team? It will need a total overhaul for Coetzee’s team to challenge the All Blacks (and England, for that matter) again, starting with the game plan and selection.
And whatever you may think about Coetzee, it is definitely possible – with or without the current coach. Perhaps the Bok coach should visit another national mentor who hails from the Eastern Cape, Russell Domingo, in the next few weeks to get a few tips.