Another near miss leaves Blitzboks fourth after late New Zealand sting at Singapore Sevens

THE SPRINGBOK Sevens were left to rue another weekend decided by the finest of margins after finishing fourth at the HSBC SVNS Singapore on Sunday, following narrow defeats to France and New Zealand at the National Stadium.

South Africa’s campaign ended with back-to-back losses by a combined total of nine points, continuing a frustrating pattern that began as early as the pool stages. On Saturday, the Blitzboks were edged by Fiji via a golden try in extra time in their final pool match, setting the tone for a tournament where small moments proved costly.

Semi-final frustration against France

The Blitzboks’ semi-final against France slipped away in the first half, as a slow start and unforced errors saw them trail 12-0 at the break.

France struck early when an inside pass put captain Paulin Riva into space for a converted try just two minutes in. A lapse in defence from a Blitzbok lineout soon after allowed the French to add a second try, stretching the lead to 12-0.

South Africa also had to navigate the remainder of the half with a yellow card shown to Ricardo Duarttee, compounding their difficulties.

The response after halftime was immediate. Christie Grobbelaar crossed after a pass from Siviwe Soyizwapi, cutting the deficit to seven points despite South Africa being a man down at the time.

The remainder of the match proved tense and frustrating. The Blitzboks created chances but failed to convert them, coming closest when Duarttee lost control of the ball within touching distance of the tryline. France held firm to secure a 12-5 win and a place in the final.

Late heartbreak against New Zealand

The third-place playoff against New Zealand followed a similar script, with the result again decided by a single conversion.

New Zealand opened the scoring through Kele Lasaqa, who stepped inside two defenders to score, with the conversion giving them a 7-0 lead.

South Africa responded when Tristan Leyds sold a dummy to score, though the conversion attempt went wide, leaving the Blitzboks trailing by two points at halftime.

The Blitzboks moved ahead early in the second half with a try from a slick backline move finished by Sebastiaan Jobb, which was converted to make it 12-7. (Note: One source attributes this try to Shilton van Wyk. The discrepancy is flagged rather than assumed.)

With less than a minute remaining, New Zealand struck decisively. Michael Manson hacked the ball ahead and outran the cover defence to score, and the conversion sealed a 14-12 win. South Africa had one final attacking opportunity, but New Zealand’s defence held to claim third place.