The Springbok Sevens delivered exactly what the home crowd wanted on the opening day of the HSBC SVNS Cape Town, powering to back-to-back wins to take control of Pool A.
Their victories over Fiji and New Zealand, two of the biggest names in the sport, put South Africa in pole position with one more fixture to play on Saturday.
The tone was set in their electrifying opener against Fiji, where Shilton van Wyk produced one of his finest displays in a Blitzbok jersey. His hat-trick, capped off by a dramatic last-second winner, sealed a gripping 24-21 triumph. The final try came after the Fijians conceded a costly scrum penalty on the hooter, allowing Ronald Brown to take a lightning-quick tap and break the defence before offloading to Van Wyk, who finished the job with ease.
Despite the victory, the South Africans will know they made life harder than it needed to be, leaking soft tries in moments that mirrored last weekend’s heavy 28-10 defeat to the same Fijian side in Dubai. Fiji struck first following some loose defence, but Christie Grobbelaar responded almost immediately, with Ricardo Duarttee levelling the scores from the tee. Fiji hit back with their second converted try to stretch the lead to 14-7, before Van Wyk closed the half with his first score, leaving the Blitzboks trailing 14-12 at the break.
Cape {town} Etc Discount Alert!
Unlock Cape Town’s best experiences for half the price! From unforgettable adventures to hidden gems and mouthwatering restaurants, these limited-time deals won’t last long. Snag your discount before they’re gone!
When Fiji extended their advantage to 21-12 early in the second half, the match looked to be slipping away. But with coach Philip Snyman turning to his bench, momentum swung sharply towards the hosts as Fiji’s discipline deteriorated. Van Wyk pounced for his second try, helped by a fortunate bounce, and Brown’s conversion narrowed the gap before the speedster completed his hat-trick to steal the victory at the death.
The clash against New Zealand demanded an entirely different kind of fight. South Africa spent most of the first half absorbing wave after wave of pressure after two yellow cards, first to Impi Visser for a high tackle and later to Van Wyk. Playing large stretches with six men, the Blitzboks were forced into a defensive blitz just to stay in the game, managing to keep New Zealand to a single score by the break.
Once back to full complement, the Blitzboks wasted no time seizing control. Donavan Don struck straight from the second-half restart after the team worked through multiple phases to open up space on the right. Brown’s conversion brought the sides level at 7-7 with six minutes remaining.
Van Wyk then made up for his earlier sin-bin by snatching a loose ball at the ruck and sprinting away untouched to give South Africa the lead. Another successful conversion pushed the score to 14-7 as the clock ticked down. The decisive blow came moments later when Brown crossed for a superb try confirmed by the TMO. New Zealand grabbed a consolation score after the whistle, but the contest was long settled as the Blitzboks wrapped up a convincing 21-12 victory.
South Africa will complete their pool fixtures at 19:41 against Great Britain, who narrowly fell 21-17 to Fiji in their second outing. With two wins from two, the Blitzboks head into the final match brimming with confidence and in full control of their destiny.
Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp Channel for content worth tapping into! Click here to join!
Also read:
City urges motorists to prioritise vehicle safety this festive season
Picture: SA Rugby
