The Blitzboks’ hold on the World Sevens Series title is almost over with Fiji beating SA 21-17 in the final of the London leg of the series on Sunday. The win pushed Fiji’s lead to seven points on the standings over SA with the final leg in Paris to come. For the Blitzboks to retain the title now Fiji would have to fail to make the semifinals in Paris and the Blitzboks would have to win. Given Fiji’s dominance this season that is an unlikely scenario. It was a courageous effort from the Blitzboks in London, especially as they lost Branco du Preez and Cecil Afrika to injury on day one. That certainly played a part, but regardless — SA didn’t have enough firepower against the form team of season. "I was very happy with the team’s performance, especially after losing to Samoa in our final match on day one and losing Branco and Cecil," said coach Neil Powell. "We came into day two with only 11 players and the guys showed a lot of heart out there. Not just in the final against Fiji, but ...
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