The Springbok Sevens team, also known as the Blitzboks, had an eventful day in Singapore on Saturday.
Despite suffering a heavy defeat in their opening match, the team managed to bounce back with a thrilling victory over Argentina in their final pool game.
However, their earlier loss meant they couldn’t secure a semi-final spot, which left them out of the title race.
A Disastrous Start to the Tournament
The Blitzboks’ tournament got off to the worst possible start when they were handed a 38-10 defeat by Great Britain in their first match.
Right from the beginning, the team faced challenges. A red card to Sebastiaan Jobb within the first two minutes put the South Africans at a severe disadvantage.
To make matters worse, Dewald Human also received a yellow card in the second half, and they lost Donavan Don to injury after a dangerous aerial challenge by Great Britain’s Harry Glover.
With the Blitzboks down to fewer players, Great Britain capitalized quickly, scoring three tries in just a few minutes, taking a commanding 21-0 lead.
While Zain Davids managed to pull one back for the Blitzboks, Great Britain responded with another try to end the first half with a comfortable 26-5 lead.
Despite some hope after Human’s score, the Blitzboks couldn’t recover, and Great Britain completed a dominant 38-10 victory.
Blitzboks Show Resilience Against Argentina
After their tough start, the Blitzboks were determined to show their true potential against Argentina, the world series leaders.
Argentina opened the scoring, but the Blitzboks responded with two impressive tries by Zain Davids and Siviwe Soyizwapi, both successfully converted by Selvyn Davids.
The first half ended with Argentina only two points behind, but the South Africans had the edge at 14-7.
The match remained closely contested. Argentina took the lead again with a third try, making it 17-12, but the Blitzboks refused to back down.
Dewald Human scored to put the South Africans ahead once more, but with time winding down, Argentina scored their fourth try, taking the lead at 24-19.
The situation looked bleak for the Blitzboks as Argentina won a penalty, but the South Africans made a stunning comeback.
Zander Reynders Scores the Decisive Try
With time almost up, the Blitzboks stole the lineout and kept pushing into Argentina’s 22.
A brilliant grubber kick by David Brits allowed Zander Reynders to score the winning try, falling on the ball in the in-goal area.
The 26-24 victory over Argentina was a hard-fought and dramatic win, but it wasn’t enough to secure a spot in the semi-finals due to their earlier loss.
Looking Ahead to the Ninth-Place Semi-Final
Despite the win, the Blitzboks’ hopes of making the semi-finals were dashed, leaving them to focus on the ninth-place semi-final against the USA on Sunday.
The match will take place at 05h:50 (SA time).
Match Results
- South Africa 10-38 Great Britain
South Africa – Tries: Zain Davids, Dewald Human
Great Britain – Tries: Harry Glover, Sunni Jardine (2), Will Homer, Luke Mehson, Matt Davidson. Conversions: Homer (4) - South Africa 26-24 Argentina
South Africa – Tries: Zain Davids, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Dewald Human, Zander Reynders. Conversions: Selvyn Davids (2), Ricardo Duarttee
Argentina – Tries: Luciano Gonzalez, Tobias Wade, Matías Osadczuk, Agustin Fraga. Conversions: Joaquin Pellandini, Wade
The Blitzboks’ tournament journey continues, but they will have to regroup quickly if they want to make the most of the remaining games in Singapore.
