Brown satisfied with big picture
The Blitzboks ran riot in Dubai to claim top honours before placing second in their home tournament, losing 17-19 to England in a pulsating Final. Victory would have seen them set a new record for the most consecutive home leg victories.
Unfortunately for the 54,995 spectators who filled the Cape Town Stadium, the defeat put a damper on what was a spectacular day of action.
While it would be easy to focus on their solitary defeat in 12 matches thus far, former captain Kyle Brown remained incredibly proud of what the team has managed to achieve.
"We have a hell of a lot to be positive about, especially the way everyone performed over these two weeks. Coming off the field [after the Final], the guys were saying sorry but there is no time for that. They gave it their absolute best, were shattered after the game and are extremely disappointed with not having to take home the title.
"I am very proud of the way the guys went out and maybe it was a case of that one hurdle too far.
"To wake in the morning and know that you have taken a first and second place in the series is something special. However, we have a heck of a long way to go still in the 10-tournament Series," Brown said.
Brown, along with speedster and prolific try scorer Seabelo Senatla, were forced to sit out of the Final after suffering a knee and a quad injury respectively, which could be seen as reasons why the Blitzboks fell short.
However, Brown was quick to point out that it was not the case.
"Our team centres around the fact that it is not about an individual. It's always about the full 12 players picking up the flag and running with it," he added.
An initial prognosis of Brown's injury is that he suffered meniscal damage, however, the full extent of the injury will only be known in a few days.
The Blitzboks remain top of the overall standings on 41 points, with Cape Town Sevens champions England just two points behind in second while defending Series champions Fiji – who placed fifth in Cape Town – are a further seven points behind in third.
By Tauriq Ebrahim
@Tauriq365
@rugby365com
