Blitzboks fail to tame Pumas in Sevens final

The Springbok Sevens finished runners-up at the HSBC Sevens Vancouver at BC Place on Sunday (early hours of Monday morning SA time) after being edged 19-12 by Argentina in the final of a tournament that delivered some nail-biting, but positive results for the Blitzboks.

Earlier, they notched a dramatic 12-10 victory over Fiji in the semifinals, scoring the winning points in the final play of the match.

The Blitzboks have now finished fifth in Dubai, won in Cape Town, placed fourth in Perth and taken silver in Vancouver, which leaves them in fourth place on the overall standings, six points shy of log leaders Argentina.

The South Americans (68 points), Spain (64), SA and Fiji (both 62) are moving clear from the rest of the pack, with a gap opening between the top four and France (46), Australia and New Zealand (38) after four tournaments.

Hong Kong and Singapore are the two remaining tournaments in the regular season, before the Grand Finale in Los Angeles.

The Pumas laid the foundation for their victory in the final before the break, scoring the only two tries of the half. SA were penalised a few times at the breakdown and could not get momentum, while Argentina were more clinical when in possession and they deserved their 12-0 lead.

When Argentina scored in the opening play from the second half restart to take a 19-0 lead, things looked dire for the men in green and gold. But the Blitzboks’ fighting spirit was a highlight of their tournament.

A brilliant solo run by Quewin Nortjé got them on the board and going. Nortjé beat two defenders on an 80m run to score.

When Siviwe Soyizwapi scored his 154th career try from a move he initiated with a great break 10 minutes into the half, the Blitzboks were just a score away from levelling matters.

They had some opportunities, but the 2025 Vancouver champions held them out for a well-earned win.

The Blitzboks’ semifinal win over Fiji was one of the most dramatic of the tournament.

A red card to Sebastiaan Jobb after only four minutes reduced the South Africans to six players for the remainder of the match. Jobb was sent off for making head contact in a tackle in a move that saw Fijian winger Joji Nasova scoring at the other end of the field.

Fiji held that 5-0 lead into the second half, but could not benefit from their extra number, as the Blitzboks worked extremely hard to keep their defensive line intact.

In fact, it was SA who scored next, with Shilton van Wyk finishing off some good work on his inside by Selvyn Davids. The try levelled the scores with five minutes to play.

It seemed Fiji had booked their spot to the final with a try by Jeremaia Matana in the 12th minute, but the Blitzboks were not done yet.

An attack that started deep in their own half finished with a Donovan Don try under the Fijian posts, with Selvyn Davids instrumental in putting Don in space. Tristan Leyds, who instigated the attack with a kick ahead, converted after the buzzer for the dramatic win.

Scorers

Final

SA 12 (0) — Tries: Quewin Nortjé, Siviwe Soyizwapi. Conversion: Selvyn Davids.

Argentina 19 (12) — Tries: Luciano Gonzalez (2), Tobias Wade. Conversions: Joaquin Pellandini (2).

Semifinal

SA 12 (0) — Tries: Shilton van Wyk, Donovan Don. Conversion: Tristan Leyds.

Fiji 10 (5) — Tries: Joji Nasova, Jeremaia Matana.

Standings after four tournaments:

• 1 Argentina — 68 points
• 2 Spain — 64
• 3 Fiji — 62
• 4 SA — 62
• 5 France — 46
• 6 Australia — 38
• 7 New Zealand — 38
• 8 Britain — 32

SA Rugby