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Nelson Madela Bay will be hosting the local leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 9 and 10 December 2011.
Mzanzi’s stage is set for a scorching international rugby showdown with a twist. The Bay will be transformed into a summer carnival with a distinct Eastern Cape flavour,inviting people from all walks of life to participate in the 48 hours of sportainment.
Entertainment throughout the tournament will include top local DJ’s and bands (Goldfish and Dr Victor on Friday evening) together with a carnival sensory experience of mimes, buskers, and much more. Rugby fans will be able to enjoy a full day of international Sevens rugby for as little as R80 on the first day and R100 on the second day. Tickets available at Computicket.
The line-up of events for next week in Nelson Mandela Bay:
Sat 3 Dec
Start of Taxi activation campaign
Sun 4 Dec
20h10 Arrival of first group of teams at the Port Elizabeth Airport
Mon 5 Dec 14h00 Tag Rugby coaching clinic for coaches
09h00 First training session for all teams at various training venues
Tues 6 Dec
14h00 Tag Rugby and HSBC competition featuring 100 kids from local schools
17h00 Springbok Sevens signing session at Greenacres Mall
18h00 Official Mayoral welcome function, NMB Stadium
Wed 7 Dec
14h00 International captains’ signing session
Thu 8 Dec
07h00 Springbok Sevens Absa charity breakfast
10h00 Captain’s Run (last training session for all teams)
Fri 9 Dec
11h37 Start of match day 1
20h30 Castle Lager SuperFan Concert at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Sat 10 Dec
11h16 Start of match day 2
20h10 Trophy presentation and pyrotechnics display
Sun 11
Dec Teams departure to various destinations
New Zealand pip hosts to win SA Sevens
New Zealand have beaten hosts South Africa in dramatic fashion with the final play of the match to win the Nelson Mandela Bay South Africa Sevens, round three of the HSBC Sevens World Series.
The reigning Series champions won a thrilling final 31-26 in front of 30,000 fans to claim the first South Africa Sevens title to be played at a new home in Port Elizabeth.
In doing so, they draw level with Fiji on 51 points at the top of the World Series with South Africa in third on 48 and England just one more point adrift in fourth.
Afrika returns to lead Blitzbokke attack
IRB Sevens Player of the Year Cecil Afrika will lead the Springbok Sevens attack on home soil in the Nelson Mandela Bay South Africa Sevens after the playmaker was included in the South Africa squad for the tournament which starts on Friday.
Afrika is one of two changes made to the team that lost to Australia in the Dubai Plate Final last Saturday. He replaces Renfred Dazel.
Robert Ebersohn has returned to Super Rugby pre-season duty with the Toyota Cheetahs and has been replaced by newcomer Cornal Hendricks from the Regent Boland Cavaliers.
Afrika did not play in Dubai after he suffered a rib injury in the season-opener in Australia three weeks ago. It will also be the first time this season that he will partner with scrumhalf Branco du Preez who sat out in the Gold Coast.
Springbok Sevens captain Kyle Brown said the prospects of playing at home in the new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will be a huge motivating factor for the team. “You only play once at home in nine tournaments so the guys are quite excited to run out in front of our own supporters.
“We did not play to our full potential in either of the previous two tournaments and will be looking to rectify the small mistakes and play to the standards that we have set for ourselves,” said Brown.
The Springbok Sevens team for the Nelson Mandela Bay South Africa Sevens:
Chris Dry
Boom Prinsloo
Frankie Horne
Kyle Brown (captain)
Chase Minnaar
Cornal Hendricks
Branco du Preez
Mark Richards
Cecil Afrika
Steven Hunt
Paul Delport
Bernado Botha
Let the biggest rugby party begin
The 16 international teams have arrived in Port Elizabeth from Dubai for the Nelson Mandela Bay sevens on Friday and Saturday.
Word from the organisers is that none of the teams will be training today although South Africa will have a swimming session at an undisclosed venue..
England won the Dubai sevens at the weekend when they beat France 29-12 in a one-sided final.
South Africa lost 17-14 to Australia in the plate final.
For this weekend's 3rd leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, South Africa has been drawn in Pool C with Australia, Canada and Kenya.
The Blitzbokke are set to train at the Victoria Park Highs School from 9 o’clock tomorrow morning and have an autograph signing session at Greenacres at 5pm tomorrow.
Following their win in Dubai, England climbed to second in the HSBC Sevens World Series standings, seven points behind Gold Coast champions Fiji.
The World Series Standings after round 2:
1. Fiji 39 points; 2. England 32; 3. South Africa, New Zealand, France 29; 6. Australia 28; 7. Argentina, Wales 23.
The pool draw for the Nelson Mandela Bay South Africa Sevens is:
Pool A
England, Argentina, USA, Samoa
Pool B
France, New Zealand, Scotland, Morocco
Pool C
South Africa, Australia, Canada, Kenya
Pool D
Fiji, Wales, Portugal, Zimbabwe
The confirmed training venues for the 16 teams are:
Argentina – Cille High School, Uitenhage Road, Sydwell
Australia – Framesby High School, Cornelia Avenue, Framesby
Canada – Gelvandale Stadium, Gelvandale
England – Westering High School, Papenskuil Street, Westerling
Fiji – Nelson Mandela Bay University, North Campus, Summerstrand
France – Pearson High School, Jenvy Road, Summerstrand
Kenya – Newton Technical High School, 92 First Avenue, Newton Park
New Zealand – Nelson Mandela Bay University, North Campus, Summerstrand
Portugal – Zwide Stadium, Tonjeni Street, Kwazakhele
Morocco – Newton Technical High School, 92 First Avenue, Newton Park
Samoa – Londt Park Sports Club, Ralston Road, Fernglen
Scotland – PE College, Kemsley Park, Mount Croix
South Africa – Victoria Park High School, Victoria Park Drive, Walmer
United States – Kemsley Park, Mount Croix
Wales – DF Malherbe High School, Walmer B-field
Zimbabwe – Nelson Mandela Bay University, Missionvale Campus
The Bay is buzzing with Sevens Fever
The Bay is buzzing with excitement and ready to welcome the world’s best Sevens players for the Nelson Mandela Bay South Africa Sevens, to be hosted in the brand new iconic Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 9-10 December.
The stadium is instantly recognisable for its unique design featuring a rooftop that resembles a collection of sails and it is situated on the edge of a lake, which makes for a spectacular sight at night when the lights are switched on.
Nelson Mandela Bay will host the South African leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series for the four five years after it emerged as winner of a very competitive bidding process at the beginning of the year. It replaces George where the tournament was held previously for the past decade.
The tournament is round three of the HSBC Sevens World Series which consists of nine events across the world.
Tickets are very affordable and range from R80 on the Friday and from R100 on Saturday and fans can book their seats at any Computicket outlet.
The South African Rugby Union and the City of Nelson Mandela Bay have drawn up a great entertainment programme for next week which will not only ensure the many visiting players and officials enjoy their stay in Friendly City, but that the locals also share in the fun, enjoyment and excitement of this hugely popular tournament.
Speaking during a briefing session earlier today, Mandlakazi Skefile, the CEO of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, told media the city was ready to welcome the players, match officials, IRB dignitaries and out of town visitors. She said the city of Nelson Mandela Bay was fully committed to make this tournament a success so that in future, it can rival the most popular Series tournaments in the world.
She appealed to Bay rugby fans to buy tickets and to welcome the teams, including hosts South Africa, with typical Eastern Cape warmth.
“We are, I reiterate, 100% ready for the event. All security measures are in place, a comprehensive traffic plan will be implemented in line with our operational plan for big stadium events and we are all systems go. All we need now is for the fans to buy the remaining tickets.
“So we encourage rugby and party-loving people from areas surrounding Nelson Mandela Bay – Jeffery’s Bay, Patense, Kenton, Grahamstown – to make a weekend outing of the event and to come and enjoy our friendly city,” said Ms Skefile.
Steven Roos, SARU’s Tournament Director who is overseeing all the operational arrangements for the two-day international tournament, said SARU was looking forward to stage the Sevens at the beautiful Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“The stadium is a fantastic venue and it has outstanding modern facilities in addition to a seating capacity of 45 000 people. We have worked extremely hard the past few months with the City, our joint venture partners, to make sure all the logistics and operational matters, as required by the IRB, are in place when the teams arrive in the Bay on Sunday evening,” explained Mr Roos.
He added that a full list of events next week will ensure an exciting build-up to the two days of action next Friday and Saturday.
One of the many highlights of the week is the Castle Lager SuperFan concert next Friday evening which will be staged immediately after the final whistle of the last match, at 8.30pm. Popular South African bands Goldfish, Dr Victor and the Rasta Rebels and DJ Reddy D are the main attractions.
Fans will be able to meet the Blitzbokke during a signing session on Tuesday at the Greenacres Mall, while a meet and greet session with all the international captains is scheduled for the next day at the same venue.
