It took nine years, but the Blitzboks finally got their hands back on the HSBC SVNS Cape Town trophy by beating France 26-14 in the final at the DHL Stadium on Sunday evening.
The last time SA won their home tournament in Cape Town was in 2015, against Argentina in the final.
They were runners-up in 2016 (against England) and 2019 (against New Zealand).
But there were scenes of wild celebration in the stands on Sunday as SA hoisted the much-coveted silverware once again.
Fiji took the bronze medal after thumping Spain 47-10 in the third- and fourth-place playoff.
France opened the scoring in the first minute through a try by Celian Pouzelgues and Stephen Parez Edo Martin kicked the conversion.
Flyer Donovan Don hit back for the Blitzboks two minutes later for Ricardo Duarttee to add the extra two.
Almost immediately after that, a strong running try from Zain Davids saw the home team take the lead, with Duarttee slotting the easy conversion to make it 14-7.
France’s Varian Pasquet grabbed their second try and Martin’s drop from the touchline was successful as the teams went to the break at 14-14.
Shilton van Wyk collected a sniping grubber from Dewald Human in the second minute of the second half to score out wide and Duarttee slotted the kick to make it 21-14 before David Brits scored in the opposite corner as SA took a 26-14 lead.
The hosts were reduced to six players when Siviwe Soyizwapi was yellow-carded with a minute remaining.
In the semifinals, the Springboks Sevens team had to dig deep but did what was necessary to seal a 19-12 victory over Spain to advance to the final for the first time in five years.
France beat Fiji 19-17 in the other semi after scoring a converted try in the corner with time up on the clock.
In the women’s competition, New Zealand proved too strong for the US in the final, the Black Ferns Sevens running out 26-12 winners.
France claimed third place after edging Australia 17-14.
New Zealand had too much class for France in the semis, thrashing them 43-0, to set up the showdown against the US, who upset last week’s champions in Dubai, Australia, 24-19 in the second semi. — Additional reporting by SA Rugby Communications
HeraldLIVE
Blitzboks claim Cape Town Sevens honours
Image: ASHLEY VLOTMAN/GALLO IMAGES
It took nine years, but the Blitzboks finally got their hands back on the HSBC SVNS Cape Town trophy by beating France 26-14 in the final at the DHL Stadium on Sunday evening.
The last time SA won their home tournament in Cape Town was in 2015, against Argentina in the final.
They were runners-up in 2016 (against England) and 2019 (against New Zealand).
But there were scenes of wild celebration in the stands on Sunday as SA hoisted the much-coveted silverware once again.
Fiji took the bronze medal after thumping Spain 47-10 in the third- and fourth-place playoff.
France opened the scoring in the first minute through a try by Celian Pouzelgues and Stephen Parez Edo Martin kicked the conversion.
Flyer Donovan Don hit back for the Blitzboks two minutes later for Ricardo Duarttee to add the extra two.
Almost immediately after that, a strong running try from Zain Davids saw the home team take the lead, with Duarttee slotting the easy conversion to make it 14-7.
France’s Varian Pasquet grabbed their second try and Martin’s drop from the touchline was successful as the teams went to the break at 14-14.
Shilton van Wyk collected a sniping grubber from Dewald Human in the second minute of the second half to score out wide and Duarttee slotted the kick to make it 21-14 before David Brits scored in the opposite corner as SA took a 26-14 lead.
The hosts were reduced to six players when Siviwe Soyizwapi was yellow-carded with a minute remaining.
In the semifinals, the Springboks Sevens team had to dig deep but did what was necessary to seal a 19-12 victory over Spain to advance to the final for the first time in five years.
France beat Fiji 19-17 in the other semi after scoring a converted try in the corner with time up on the clock.
In the women’s competition, New Zealand proved too strong for the US in the final, the Black Ferns Sevens running out 26-12 winners.
France claimed third place after edging Australia 17-14.
New Zealand had too much class for France in the semis, thrashing them 43-0, to set up the showdown against the US, who upset last week’s champions in Dubai, Australia, 24-19 in the second semi. — Additional reporting by SA Rugby Communications
HeraldLIVE
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