CHAMPIONS: Blitzboks go back-to-back in Cape Town
The Blitzboks overcame multiple injury setbacks before the final to beat Argentina 21-19 en route to successfully defend their Cape Town Sevens crown.
The Blitzboks erased a 12-point deficit to defeat Argentina by two points to successfully defend their Cape Town Sevens champions title.
The 10th annual Cape Town Sevens tournament finished on the perfect note for South Africans as the Blitzboks clinched their second consecutive title. They rolled over Fiji, New Zealand, Great Britain and France on their way to the title-decider.
That said, it wasn’t plain sailing for the Blitzboks. They suffered a double injury setback with the loss of Ronald Brown and Tristan Leyds, while Selvyn Davids also carried a niggle. And yet, knowing his team is in dire need of a playmaker, Davids made the selfless decision to play through the pain to help South Africa retain the title.
Earlier in the day, the Australian Women’s were crowned champions, having crushed New Zealand in the women’s final.
FIRST HALF RECAP: ARGENTINA OUTPLAY THE HOSTS
The first stanza didn’t go according to plan for the Blitzboks with Argentina bossing the collisions and dominating territory and possession; while the hosts were in the business of making uncharacteristic mistake.
South Africa scored one try, sandwiched between two Argentina touchdowns, giving the visitors a 14-7 lead at the interval.
SECOND HALF RECAP: BLITZBOKS STAGE STUNNING COMEBACK
At the start of the second period, Argentina continued where they left off before the break; this time a barnstorming individual run doing the damage as another try extended their lead.
Going down 19-7 appeared to awaken the Blitzboks, who first called on their suffocating defence to halt the Argentines and then launched their own counter attack to seal the deal.
Rookie Nabo Sokoyi and veteran Christi Grobbelaar crossed for converted tries late in the game to turn the result on its head and keep the title in Cape Town.
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