With three straight wins, they have managed to secure the top position in their allotted Pool D, launching them into the tournament’s quarter-final stage. 

The HSBC Hamilton Sevens tournament kicked off on Saturday, the 21st of January, in New Zealand with South Africa taking on Canada in the opening match. For South African fans, the game took place late on Friday evening and was definitely one to catch as the Blitzboks secured their first win of the tournament. 

The Blitzboks former captain and assistant coach, Philip Snyman, stated that as a team, they want to lay a foundation against Canada and build on that. They’ve done exactly that after a 35-4 win against Canada which was followed by another 2 wins in the pool games against Spain and Argentina.

In the series opener, Shilton van Wyk carried the team to an easy win with an impressive hat trick. Furthermore, the Blitzboks had to fight hard to secure narrow wins against both Spain and Argentina.

Against Spain, the team took an early lead with 7-0 at half time. As Spain fought back in the second half, the Blitzboks had to hold them off and tries from Selvyn Davids, along with Davon Blood and Shaun Williams did exactly that. 

In their third game of the series, an early lead by Argentina, with a try in the second minute, meant that the South Africans had to switch on and build on the foundation of their previous two wins. Dalvon Blood and Christie Grobbelaar pushed hard and put the Blitzboks up to 12-7 by half-time. 

A 19-12 win against Spain and 17-14 win against Argentina place the Blitzboks at the top of Pool D with a chance to further their pursuit of the winning title. 

The Blitzboks are now set to face France in their quarterfinal at 23:58 on Saturday evening and if they manage to secure a 4th consecutive win, they will face the winner of the Fiji-Argentina quarterfinal in the semifinals at 03:48 on Sunday morning. 

OFM Sport/Kayla Barker