New Zealand Rugby

Despite winning 13 of 15 Tests played since the beginning of 2012, including a perfect haul in last year’s inaugural Rugby Championship, New Zealand’s form vane keeps pointing north to London, where they were thumped 38-21 by England last year.

England were on fire at Twickenham that day, New Zealand strangely lackluster and coming to the end of a long season. But until such time as they can prove it was just a blip in their perennially high standards, there will be some doubt over the vintage of this current crop of All Blacks.

It is one of sport’s truisms that there is no such thing as a weak New Zealand team, and they proved that yet again by comfortably winning this summer’s Test series against France 3-0. They weren't at their best, but that was still too good for France.

But whether they will be good enough to match their record of last year will depend on whether they have managed to banish the demons of their record defeat to England.

The form of their Super 15 teams certainly gives reason for optimism, with defending champions Waikato Chiefs reaching the final after edging past the star-studded Canterbury Crusaders 20-19 in a clash of real quality. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BywXHTMsSJ0

None of the Chiefs players were named in the preliminary All Blacks squad announced Monday, but coach Steve Hansen was able to recall World Cup-winning skipper and New Zealand’s favourite son Richie McCaw following his six-month sabbatical from rugby.

McCaw’s leadership and breakdown ability will again be crucial to New Zealand’s chances, as will the game management and goal-kicking of star fly-half Dan Carter. Hansen certainly thinks his captain is ready for the challenges ahead, as reported by ESPN.

 He’s in pretty good shape. By the time it gets to August 17 he’ll have had two more games, so at this point he’s coming along nicely.

With the likes of Carter, Israel Dagg, Conrad Smith, Julian Savea and Ma’a Nonu in their back line, the All Blacks undoubtedly have the speed and cunning to worry Australia, who they meet back-to-back in their opening games, South Africa and Argentina.

This stunning team effort against France, finished off by Beauden Barrett on his home ground, suggests they will be as dangerous as ever in broken play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KfwRQ38dxE

It is up front where they must prove that the soft underbelly on display at Twickenham was temporary and that there is no danger of it becoming a permanent issue.

England’s forwards bossed that encounter, and similar vulnerability will be targeted during the forthcoming Rugby Championship, especially by the scrum-loving Springboks and Pumas.

New Zealand’s front-five enforcers Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Owen Franks, Wyatt Crockett and Andrew Hore need to step up and show Twickenham was a one-off.

New Zealand 2013 Rugby Championship schedule

Aug 17 v Australia (Sydney)

Aug 24 v Australia (Wellington)

Sept 7 v Argentina (Waikato)

Sept 14 v South Africa (Auckland)

Sept 28 v Argentina (La Plata)

Oct 5 v South Africa (Argentina)

One of rugby league's biggest stars appears set to give the game away at the conclusion of the 2013 season, as reported by TVNZ. Benji Marshall has reportedly asked to leave the Wests Tigers, and a switch to rugby union seems likely.

Marshall has said numerous times that he would never play for another NRL club, having developed strong loyalty towards the Tigers after playing 11 years with the club. Essentially this means should Marshall want to continue to play top-level sport, he would have to look for a new game, particularly if he wants to remain in Australia or New Zealand.

He has been linked with the Blues Super 15 franchise. TVNZ reported he would join the John Kirwan-coached team for the 2014 season.

This would be a big move for the rebuilding franchise, which after a disastrous 2012 performed surprisingly well in 2013. In the same article, however, it is also mentioned that the Waratahs and Rebels were interested in talking to Marshall's agent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xHWBX2y7RQ

TVNZ reported that the opportunity to play in the New Zealand Sevens team at the 2016 Olympics was a major attraction for Marshall, given his exceptional skill running in space. Indeed, one would feel he would be a better Sevens player than 15-a-side, given the lower technical skills, tactical nous and higher transferability of skills from rugby league.

To be a successful rugby union player he will no doubt need a transition period, just as we have seen recently from Sonny Bill Williams and Israel Folau.

He would need to learn a different tactical mindset and develop a knowledge for positional play which is not quite so important in rugby league.

Just to make it clear for those of you who are unaware, rugby union and rugby league are different sports. While outside of Australia, New Zealand and England they are often reported as the same sport, or simply as "rugby," they are in fact very different games. 

The major difference in the rules comes in that in rugby union, there is a contest for the ball, whereas in rugby league there are a set number of tackles when you retain the ball, similar to American football. They are governed by different bodies, require different skill sets, are played with a slightly differently shaped ball and both have a different number of players on the field.

Most important to this situation, if you are good at one, that does not mean you will be good at the other.

In fact, there have been more examples over the years of players being unsuccessful in their switches than of them being successful, especially when switching from league to union. Brad Thorn did well, as did Jason Robinson and Matt Rogers. Sonny Bill Williams was in the end a success, and it seems Israel Folau is going to be successful as well.

But that about does it. Which makes the move a risky one for Marshall, as well as whoever is signing him. 

At 28 years old, his best years are coming to an end and may even be behind him. For the most part of the last decade he has been something of a magician in the NRL, capable of stepping through gaps and delivering miracle balls to put his teammates away that only he could deliver. He was the key player in the Tigers' 2005 Premiership, as well as in New Zealand's 2008 World Cup win.

But over the past two seasons, he has lacked this same spark. Perhaps he just is not the player he was five years ago.

It takes time adjusting to a new sport, especially one as complex as rugby union. How long he takes in this adjustment could determine how well the switch goes, as he really does not have time on his side if it is going to take him multiple seasons.

TVNZ suggested that he may play in the ITM Cup this season, which would be a good platform for him to learn the skills required at the top level—even this though is a reasonable level and will likely take a period of adjustment.

He certainly has the ability to make it at Super 15 level. Whether he could go all the way and play for the All Blacks is another thing, though.

If he were to play first five-eighth, he would be behind the almost irreplaceable Dan Carter and the ever-improving Aaron Cruden. He is not strong enough defensively to play in the midfield, and his playmaking ability would be wasted in the back three.

That said, if he could make the same impact in union as he has in league, you would have to find a place for him.

Sevens may be more his game, at least on the world stage. With far more space to work with and a more basic skill set required, it would be both easier to transfer to and better suited to his playing style.

Indeed, it is not hard to imagine him running rings around opposition defences in sevens. There is no player in sevens that can claim to have the elusiveness of Marshall, with Tomasi Cama perhaps coming the closest.

Whatever happens, it will be an interesting move should a deal be finalised.

If he is successful, it may pave the way for more rugby league players to look to come across to rugby union or sevens in order to chase a Rugby World Cup or an Olympic gold medal. 

Imagine Benji Marshall and Shaun Johnson both on the New Zealand Sevens team at Rio 2016. Now that would be a terrifying prospect for anyone who comes up against them.

It would have to rate as one of the best feel-good stories in sports history. The fall and rise of Stephen Donald, national villain No. 1 after a forgettable performance in 2010, before a dramatic comeback which saw him kick a crucial penalty goal in the Rugby World Cup 2011 Final.

As was reported by the New Zealand Herald, the story caught the eye of Great Southern Television and is to be made into a two-hour television movie. The movie will be backed by New Zealand On Air, who have granted the production company $2.7 million, and will be named The Kick.

The movie will follow the life and rugby career of Donald, while also delving into the rugby psyche of New Zealand and give an insight into the All Blacks camp.

Donald played 23 tests for the All Blacks between 2008 and 2011, predominantly as a first five-eighth, but also filled in on the wing and in the midfield on occasion. He was one of many candidates used in what at times seemed a hopeless search for a backup to the incomparable Daniel Carter. His form at provincial and Super Rugby level was generally high and consequently he was given multiple chances with the national team, but underperformed on each one of these.

This all came to a dramatic heed in 2010, when he was selected once again for the All Blacks end-of-year tour after a very good ITM Cup campaign with Waikato. It was a move that drew plenty of criticism as Colin Slade had performed well when given the chance earlier in the year, while Mike Delaney was also considered a reasonable option. 

After the first game the criticisms reached an all time high, being brought on late in the game and seemingly doing whatever he could to lose the game for the All Blacks. A missed penalty goal, a missed tackle and most crucially a missed touch finder were all costly in a 26-24 loss to Australia. It would be the All Blacks only loss in 2010.

The blame was put on Donald and solely Donald. There had been earlier defensive blunders from Ma'a Nonu and Isaia Toeava, but these were forgotten, as was the lack of intensity from the forward pack and the rustiness of the whole team. He was made something of a scapegoat and only played bit-parts in games against Scotland and Wales, while not being used against England or Ireland.

He returned home national villain No. 1, the unwanted man who had decided to leave New Zealand at the conclusion of the 2011 season. His All Black career was over, or so we thought.

Fast-forward 11 months and injuries to Daniel Carter and Colin Slade had seen the All Blacks with no choice to call Donald into their World Cup squad. He was to play the backup role to Aaron Cruden in the semifinal and final, only to be used if absolutely necessary. And that it would become absolutely necessary was unthinkable to anyone in New Zealand.

As it would happen, Cruden was forced to leave the field with injury 30 minutes into the final against France. Enter Stephen Donald.

With the score at 5-0, Donald would step up to the mark to kick the penalty that took the All Black to an 8-0 lead, which France would never catch up to. The rest of his performance was good too, making a couple of nice runs, tackling well, not shying away from contact and keeping a cool head in what was a dramatic game.

When the final whistle sounded with the All Blacks having won 8-7, Donald was hailed as one of the heroes of the effort. His kick has become part of New Zealand rugby folklore and will live on through the ages.

Having already signed with English club Bath, Donald left the country not long after, but he left as a hero, a cult-figure of New Zealand society. Funny what difference a year makes.

But don't just take my word for it, be sure to tune in to witness The Kick first hand. 

In perhaps their most complete performance since Rugby World Cup 2011, the All Blacks have dispatched France 30-0 to clinch their three-match series a week early. 

The win came on the back of strong defence, an outstanding kicking game and the ability to turn defence into attack to make their pressure count. They completely dominated every aspect of the game as the French were reduced to rushing kicks away from inside their 22 for much of the game.

It was the first 10 minutes of the second half that were key with the score at 10-0 to the All Blacks. During this period, the French launched an assault on the All Blacks' line, getting almost as close as they could to scoring without actually doing so. For 30 phases they hammered away at the resolute black wall of defence, which never broke.

Not only were they unable to score, they completely gave up on trying, surrendering to the superior All Black defence and taking a dropped goal instead. However, this was not a particularly good option, as after being charged down by Sam Cane, the All Blacks regathered the ball and made a break through Julian Savea, which was finished by Ben Smith to score a try at the other end.

This took the scoreline to 17-0, and the game was essentially won there and then. Had France persisted with trying to score, or had they been capable of scoring, the score would have gone to 10-7 with half an hour still to play. But it was the unbreakable defence of the All Blacks, coupled with their ability to turn this into points, that took the game away from the French.

Perhaps you could say it was karma for playing such negative rugby.

Up until this point France had never looked in the game. The All Blacks executed one of the all-time great kicking performances, constantly finding space in behind the French defensive line and applying pressure by chasing. The French back three were left clueless and under enormous pressure to either try to clear or do their best when being caught in a tackle.

It was a hopeless situation for them to be in, not helped by their dysfunctional lineout, which was under all sorts of pressure from Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock, meaning the All Blacks could kick for touch knowing they had a fair chance of getting the ball back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hch-1AipRrY

The start of the second half was the first time France really had a chance to do anything and was a time where they needed to if they were to stay in the game.

After this point the All Blacks began to regain dominance and looked to attack more with ball in hand. After adding an extra two penalties and taking the score to 23-0, they were forced to defend once again as France launched their second assault on the New Zealand line.

But such was the resolve of this All Blacks team—they never looked like cracking. Tackling everything that came at them, turning the ball over and then spinning it wide to Rene Ranger, who began the break that led to one of the great All Black tries to finish the game.

Best for the All Blacks were the trio of Israel Dagg, Aaron Smith and Aaron Cruden, all of whom employed the kicking tactic so effectively. Dagg in particular stood out and answered many of his critics by delivering an outstanding performance, taking some good high ball and having sublime positional play along with his kicking. 

As they say, a kick is only as good as its chase, and here Ben Smith was key, applying pressure to the kicks and preventing France from getting out of their 22 easily. Conrad Smith, Liam Messam and Sam Cane were strong leading the defensive line on the chase too, never letting the French through when they tried to counter.

Julian Savea was the most dangerous of the backs, looking devastating with ball in hand and being used far more than he was last week.

Kieran Read was the best of the forwards, running strongly to provide front football for his backs to work with, defending heroically and being the key player in disrupting the French lineout.

But it was as a team that this All Black team won so dominantly against France. They won through their resolute defence, their silky skills and their intelligence in the first half.

Just one final thought: This was the All Blacks without Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter, the two players who for over a decade it was said they could not do without. At least we now know in Aaron Cruden and Sam Cane, the All Blacks have two more-than-capable replacements for their two superstars when they eventually move on.

New Zealand had to withstand a late flurry from a desperate Ireland team to walk away with a 31-26 win and clinch a spot in the semifinals of the Junior Rugby World Cup.

Two yellow cards affected the game immensely, as both teams struggled to hold the other out with only 14 men on the field, and was a key in gaining momentum.

It was this that saw the Baby Blacks shoot out to a 31-11 lead in the first 15 minutes of the second half. After going to the break with a 14-11 lead, the New Zealanders touched down three times early in the second half, two of these coming while Ireland centre Thomas Farrell spent time in the sin bin.

The period saw New Zealand exert total dominance over their opponent, gaining plenty of forward momentum and breaking through the defence at will. On the flip side, the Irish never really got a chance, unable to get their hands on the ball for any length of time and having little opportunity to use it when they did.

You would have been forgiven for thinking the game was all but over at this stage. Despite there being a quarter of the game to go, Ireland just did not look like they were coming back. The New Zealanders were in complete dominance of proceedings, and this dominance did not look like it'd be relinquished. 

Funnier things have happened in rugby games, though, especially in a do-or-die game for both teams. 

And so it happened. New Zealand seemed to go into a lull and for whatever reason did not have that same spark after being in such a commanding position. Ireland, on the other hand, seemed to realise the importance of their situation and rallied.

They dominated territory and possession for most of the last 20 minutes, forcing New Zealand to do plenty of tackling, and were able to manipulate the defence to cross for two tries of their own. In this time New Zealand lost prop Nick Grogan to the sin bin after a series of repeated infringements, which proved to be just as important in Ireland's dominant run as the earlier yellow card to Farrell.

The final seconds saw Ireland launch one last attack where they pressed into the New Zealand 22, but were unable to score the winning try, conceding a penalty to end their chances of an upset.

Ardie Savea was the best player for New Zealand, with a high work rate all day. He made numerous breaks and showed good ball skills to offload well and keep the defence under pressure. Defensively he was strong at the tackle and was instrumental in effecting multiple turnovers.

He has been a beast all tournament, although that should not be surprising as he has stood out at levels higher than this over the past 12 months. It is only a question of when, rather than if, he gets his chance with the All Blacks.

Others to impress in the forwards were locks Patrick Tuipulotu and Christopher Vui, both of whom were prominent ball-runners and put their team on the front foot. The front rowers looked good around the field, but struggled to hold their own against a powerful Irish scrum.

Lolagi Visinia was the best of the backs, running dangerously on numerous occasions from all over the park. He crossed for one try where he literally ran over the top of the defence and was instrumental in setting up the first one for his team. Michael Collins was strong in the midfield, making some incisive runs, while halfback Tayler Adams provided good service for his team.

The New Zealanders will now progress onto the semifinals where they will meet England on Wednesday. On the other side of the draw, South Africa will face Wales on the same day as they continue their bid to defend their title.

It has been perhaps the most debated position of the 2013 All Blacks thus far. Who should start at fullback? The brilliant but hopelessly out-of-form Israel Dagg? Or the electric and best fullback in the 2013 Super 15, Ben Smith?

Everyone seems to have an opinion on the topic. Few would deny that Dagg has been well below his best for the Crusaders in the 2013 Super 15. But of course this is nothing new, as Dagg has struggled to put together a good Super 15 campaign since leaving the Highlanders in 2010. 

His form for the All Blacks, though, has remained outstanding during that period. He was the best fullback at Rugby World Cup 2011 and was electrifying during the 2012 Rugby Championship. With an uncanny knack of cutting defences to bits on the counter, coming into the line to great effect of attack, a very good clearance kick and an ability to take most high balls, there was little to critique in his game.

It is not overly unusual to see the All Blacks coaches show this type of loyalty to an out-of-form player capable of these feats. Indeed, Ma'a Nonu has kept his spot in the midfield despite some indifferent form over the past two years at Super 15 level, while Piri Weepu, Aaron Smith, Tony Woodcock and Ali Williams could have all considered themselves lucky at times over the past two years.

Some of these loyalties have paid off. Nonu certainly has looked fine once in the All Blacks setup, while Aaron Smith's performance in the first test against France this year showed a similar change in form. 

But some have not, such as the average international seasons from Weepu and Williams in 2012.

In many of these situations, though, there was little competition for the spot. Either inexperience or other out-of-form players have seen the selectors hands somewhat forced into picking the tried and true.

This is not the case with the Israel Dagg situation, however. In Ben Smith he has a competitor who has been in the black jersey before and is playing sublime rugby.

Smith has the ability to spot holes in the opposition defensive line and slice through it in a way other players seem unable to do. He is fast and well-balanced, while also being one of the best defensive fullbacks around, saving multiple tries for the Highlanders this season.

In the first test against France he showed that he was capable of doing this at test0match level too, making the break which led to the first try and looking threatening all night. However, he was forced to do this from the wing, as Dagg retained the No. 15 jersey.

The problem is, Dagg just is not capable of doing this right now, while Ben Smith is.

Smith plays the bulk of his rugby at fullback and thus tends to play his best rugby there. To further the argument, Smith looked by far and away the most dangerous of the All Blacks' backs. Therefore, he should be put in a position where he is going to see the ball regularly, which will happen if he is at fullback rather than on the wing.

Now if there was not someone else to fill in on the wing while Cory Jane is injured, maybe it would be better to play Dagg and Smith alongside each other. But with Rene Ranger in such devastating form, this argument becomes invalid.

In his cameo in the weekend, Ranger made two good runs, breaking a number of tackles and making an immediate impact. Along with this we all know how good he is defensively, perhaps the best back in the world at snaffling breakdown turnovers.

Dagg's All Blacks career should by no means be over. He is still a brilliant player, capable of cutting a team to bits. But as they say, form is temporary, class is permanent. Right now he is lacking in confidence and is too indecisive to be effective, while also missing too many tackles. But his time will come again, in some form.

The All Blacks' back three just looked better with Smith at fullback and Ranger on the wing, along with Julian Savea on the other wing. In this they had three attacking threats, while with Dagg they only really had two. 

To state the obvious, why would you not want to do something to make your team better? Even knowing how good Dagg can be, who is to say Smith will not be better? A reluctance to move forward has hurt many good teams in the past; the 2013 All Blacks will have to be careful not to fall into this trap.

If you are still not convinced, I pose you one final question.

What more must Ben Smith do to start at fullback ahead of Israel Dagg for the All Blacks?

New Zealand have escaped with a 14-10 win against a spirited Australian side in their second pool match of the 2013 IRB Junior World Cup. 

The Baby Blacks had most of the dominance for the first half, playing an expansive game and creating numerous chances to ensure the Australians were constantly under pressure. However, they were unable to convert this dominance to the scoreboard, crossing for just one try and kicking three penalties. 

This enabled them to take a 14-3 lead into the break, but it could have been so much more had the last pass stuck a few more times, as they certainly created enough opportunities.

The second half saw the tables turn, and it was New Zealand who were forced to do most of the tackling as Australia applied constant pressure and enjoyed a monopoly on territory.

But like the Baby Blacks in the first half, the Australians were unable to make this dominance count for as much as it should have, crossing for just one try, effectively ending their tournament.

Both teams were guilty of failing to score after turning down shots at goal. Australia especially will rue these lost chances, as a more sensible approach to these situations could have seen the game play out in a completely different way.

It was the New Zealanders who looked to play a more attacking game, running from everywhere and using the offload to great effect to keep the ball alive in contact. The first half saw them do this effectively, but they were not clinical enough—and despite threatening often, made too many mistakes to convert this into points.

The Australians improved as the game progressed, turning over too much ball and kicking poorly early, which gave the dangerous New Zealand back three ample opportunities to counter. However, they did improve this and made use of their strong forward runners in the second half, which gave them momentum, and New Zealand began conceding penalties.

But the Baby Blacks were able to defend well enough, and in what was perhaps a lucky escape, came away with a close win.

Best for New Zealand was Joe Webber, who constantly threatened on the counter from fullback, running dangerously and making break after break. His kicking game was superb too, clearly well on multiple occasions, carving off 50 metres easily with his clearance kicks. He combined well with his other outside backs, Fa'asiu Fuatai and Penikolo Latu, who made the most of their touches. Both looked dangerous with ball in hand.

First five-eighth Simon Hickey steered them around the field well and won the kicking battle, while Jason Emery too had his share of nice touches, making a few incisive runs and getting away a few offloads to put his outsides into gaps.

Up front, Ardie Savea stood out, running aggressively and tackling strongly to make sure his team always got the better of the contact situations. His work rate was very high, and he came up with a handful of crucial turnovers, including the pivotal one in the dying stages when the game was on the line.

Joe Edwards was much the same, playing the enforcer role of the team, while Epalahame Faiva popped up all around the field and was prominent in the tight-loose.

New Zealand will now progress to take on Ireland in a battle to claim the top spot in their pool and progress to the semifinals. 

It was messy, it was brutal and at times it was awful. But a win is a win as they say, and that will be what the New Zealand All Blacks take from their 23-13 defeat of France on Saturday to go one up in their three-match series.

A flurry in the last 10 minutes of the first half proved decisive and saw the New Zealanders open up a gap that was never closed. During this period, the back line looked threatening, and breaks from Ben Smith and Ma’a Nonu were the catalysts for the only two tries the All Blacks would score.

Outside of this period though, the All Blacks played every bit like a team that had not played for six months. They looked rusty, made too many mistakes and never applied any real pressure on France.

France were much the same. Although they looked dangerous at times and were quick to the breakdown, they also made too many mistakes to mount any real pressure.

The game was dominated by scrum resets, which chewed up a lot of time in the second half and made for a frustrating watch. It was apparent from the get-go that the French pack was going to try to jump the gun on the set call, which resulted in a number of free kicks going against them. However, the technique of both front rows was found wanting too, making for a fairly dour second half with collapsed scrum after collapsed scrum.

Ben Smith was the best of the All Blacks. He looking dangerous all night, bringing his outstanding Super 15 form to the test match arena. His break to set up the first try saw him beat one of the world’s best defenders in Thierry Dusautoir, as the French captain was unable to get a hand on him.

He looked exceptional when he went to fullback too, and even more pressure will be added to the selectors to start him at fullback ahead of the out-of-sorts Israel Dagg next week.

Ma’a Nonu also played well, making a handful of line breaks. Aaron Smith provided good service and supported well in both tries, and Conrad Smith tackled well and looked to attack positively.

Among the forwards, Kieran Read was strong, running hard and tackling well all night. Liam Messam defended well in close, while Luke Romano threw himself into everything and was the best of the tight forwards.

For France, Louis Picamoles was a tower of strength all night, running hard and getting to the breakdown quickly. Ironically, he dropped the last pass in a movement that should have seen France score their second try, but he did little else wrong.

Dusautoir never stopped either, while Yoann Huget and Wesley Fofana were the best of the France backs.

Both teams have plenty to work on before Round 2 next week, as the All Blacks will look to close out the series. However, France showed that they are more than capable of beating this All Blacks side and will be out for revenge next week.

Expect a far more polished performance from both teams, as they become more familiar with each other and solidify their combinations. 

Last Sunday brought us one step nearer to the close of the 2012/13 IRB Sevens season, in what was perhaps the most decisive tournament yet. The winner of this year's World Series has been obvious for some time, but the debate over the world's best team, it seems, is very much still an open question.

After sailing past five straight opponents over the course of a rather damp and chilly weekend in Glasgow, the New Zealanders were defeated, once again, by an outstanding South African side, by a score of 28-21, in the tournament's grand final.

Click here to see the full results from the Glasgow Sevens

The result means that South Africa have won the last two legs of the IRB men's sevens series, bringing their total to three Cup titles for this season. However, the Sevens All Blacks, by virtue of their second-place finish, have now what was already a highly probable result mathematically certain.

Click here to see the IRB World Series points table

Consistency has been the mantra of the New Zealand squad this year, but for all of their strong performances, they have looked very vulnerable at times in the presence of South Africa.

This will be the third straight Series victory for New Zealand head coach Gordon Tietjens and his squad, but their accomplishment is unlikely to stir its usual amount of praise back home.

Should South Africa win the final stop of the 2012/13 season this weekend in London, they will have an excellent claim to being the world's finest sevens team heading into the last-ever IRB Sevens World Cup in Moscow in June.

Click here to see the pool draw for the Sevens World Cup

Such a result would give South Africa a claim to four cup titles this season to put up against New Zealand's single cup victory in the competition's early stages. In addition, the Blitzbok would head into the World Cup riding a sizzling three-tournament win streak. Furthermore, the South Africans will have beaten New Zealand on multiple occasions in cup finals, making the discussion as to who really is the world's finest team at the moment a very interesting one indeed.

A victory in London would give New Zealand some much-needed credibility to go along with their IRB Sevens Series trophy; however, another defeat at the hands of their archrivals would surely leave many to wonder if Tietjens and his troops have what it takes to bring the Sevens World Cup back to New Zealand soil.

With the lower-ranked teams having been sent to the IRB qualifying tournament in London, there are a mere 12 nations competing, as is sure to be a ferociously contested final series stop.

Every nation will be wanting to stake a claim ahead of the fast-approaching World Cup in Moscow, and we will be bring you all of those results, as well as our exclusive Sevens World Cup preview right here on Bleacher Report.

Click here to see the pool draws for the London Sevens

Jeff Hull is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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