Their campaign started off on a good note on Friday evening, the 3rd of March, with a 19-all draw against France followed by an outstanding display against Japan in which they won 40-12. 

In their game against France, they came back from 19 points down to draw 19 all after fighting back with a determined spirit. A late try from Siviwe Soyizwapi and a sideline conversion from Ricardo Duartee secured the draw. 

They carried this determination over to their game against Japan where they dotted down 6 six times. Leading 26-0 at half-time saw the team way more steady in their second pool game of the tournament. 

Unfortunately, the remainder of their games yielded disappointing results. The Blitzboks lost 12-0 to Argentina in their final pool game, crashing out seeing as they needed to win by 9 points to make it to the knock-out round.

Their loss against the Pumas meant they’d played out for 9th or 10th but seeing that they lost 17-12 in their next game against Kenya, this was no longer a possibility. 

Not only did they look at a disappointing finish, but their hopes of automatic qualification for the next Olympic Games have also been hammered, seeing that they won’t be in the top 4. 

In their final game of the tournament, the Springbok Sevens faced the Canada Sevens side in which they played out for 13th or 14th position. They managed to make a positive turnaround with a 31-14 win, securing 13th place. 

Kayla Barker/OFM Sport