After being outplayed by Fiji yesterday afternoon, the Blitzboks were left to battle it out for 5th and 6th position in the inaugural Perth Sevens. Placing fifth sees the South African Sevens still ending the campaign on a high but does unfortunately see the Blitzboks moving from second to third in the overall SVNS series log. 

Speaking on their performance against Fiji, coach Sandile Ngcobo said; “That result against Fiji just again showed the realities of this series – if you are only one percent off your game, your opponent gets a chance to beat you.” 

Going into the game against France needed a mind shift and a hunger to fight for the points that would make a difference to their overall standing.

The first half scoring was opened by Shilton van Wyk and was followed by another try from Tristan Leyds securing the side a 12-0 lead at half-time.

The second half saw some more determination as Selvyn Davis and Donovan Don touched down to gain a further lead for the Blitzboks. Conversions from Ricardo Duartee and Tristan Leyds, who played in his debut tournament, took the side to a clean 24-0.

Last minute fire from France saw them put numbers to the board as Esteban Capila secured a try taking the score to 24-5 as the game came to a close. 

Regarding the Blitzboks performance, Ngcobo further stated “It was clinical. The guys showed a lot of hunger for this win and courage for the jersey. That was very pleasing to see.”

“They also executed the game plan well. Everything we talked about before the game and how we wanted to approach it played out like that, which was great for everyone.”

The Blitzboks will now prepare for the Vancouver SVNS taking place from the 23rd to the 25th of February.