Blitzboks battle through to Perth Sevens semi-finals despite fumble against Fiji

THE SPRINGBOK Sevens’ 2026 HSBC SVNS campaign has been one of fine margins. A dominant home victory in Cape Town showed what they are capable of when discipline and execution align, while mixed results elsewhere have been shaped by defensive lapses, ill-timed cards and missed opportunities against top-tier opposition. 

Perth’s opening day was another test of how far those lessons have sunk in.

All that said, the Springbok Sevens managed to book their place in the semi-finals of the HSBC SVNS Perth despite a costly final pool defeat to Fiji that again exposed how narrow the margins are at the top end of the world series.

South Africa finished second in Pool A after victories over Spain and Argentina were followed by a 20-14 loss to Fiji on Saturday. That result set up a semi-final clash against hosts Australia on Sunday, while Fiji and New Zealand were paired in the other last-four contest.

The defining match of the pool, and the one that shaped the Blitzboks’ path forward, was their encounter with Fiji.

Fiji punish lapses in discipline

South Africa made a near-perfect start against Fiji and looked in control for much of the opening half. Early attacking pressure was rewarded when a sharp break by Ricardo Duarttee created space for Zain Davids, who ghosted through the defence to open the scoring.

Moments later, Fiji were reduced to six players following a yellow card, and the Blitzboks made the numerical advantage count. Good tactical play exposed space on the wing, where Sebastiaan Jobb ran hard to finish under the posts and extend the lead to 14-0.

At that stage, Fiji had struggled to gain any real foothold. However, the momentum swung sharply late in the half.

With less than a minute remaining before the break, Davids was yellow-carded for throwing the ball away. Fiji immediately capitalised, with Nacani Boginisoko fending off Donavan Don before showing pace to score in the corner and put his side on the board.

That try proved pivotal. Fiji struck again just after the restart, punishing the six-man South African defence, and suddenly the contest had turned. A brace of tries by Viwa Naduvalo followed as Fiji found space and rhythm, taking a 15-14 lead and then extending it.

Another yellow card, this time to Duarttee for a high tackle with South Africa a point behind, left the Blitzboks under further pressure. Fiji made it count, with Iowane Teba crossing late to seal the comeback win and top spot in Pool A.

South Africa 14 (14), Fiji 20 (5)

Blitzboks – Tries: Zain Davids, Sebastiaan Jobb. Conversions: Ricardo Duarttee (2).

Fiji – Tries: Nacani Boginisoko, Viwa Naduvalo (2), Iowane Teba.

Argentina grind secures semi-final place

The earlier 19-12 win over Argentina proved crucial, securing South Africa’s place in the semi-finals, though it was only settled in the final moments.

The contest was tight from the outset, with both teams committed on defence. South Africa struck first after Argentina were yellow-carded for slapping down the ball in an attempted intercept. From the resulting penalty, the Blitzboks opted for a scrum and attacked down the blind side before switching play, where Christie Grobbelaar exploited the missing defender to score.

Argentina responded just before the break, outwitting the defence to level matters, but South Africa hit back immediately. Duarttee split the defence with a strong run and found Davids in support, who crossed for his 50th HSBC SVNS try to restore the lead.

A timely turnover early in the second half allowed Donavan Don to sprint 70 metres to score and extend the advantage to 19-7. Argentina remained in the contest and struck late after South Africa lost possession on the Pumas’ line, but the missed conversion meant the Blitzboks held on.

South Africa 19 (14), Argentina 12 (7)

Blitzboks – Tries: Christie Grobbelaar, Zain Davids, Donavan Don. Conversions: Ricardo Duarttee, Tristan Leyds.

Argentina – Tries: Marcos Moneta, Santino Zangara. Conversion: Pedro De Haro.

Strong finish after Spain stutter

South Africa opened their campaign with a 33-14 win over Spain, though it was not without its nervous moments.

The Blitzboks started sharply, with Shilton van Wyk slicing through off a delayed Tristan Leyds pass to score from their first attacking opportunity. David Brits soon added a second, finishing off a looping pass from Grobbelaar to stretch the lead.

A lapse either side of half-time allowed Spain back into the contest, with Juan Ramos scoring twice in quick succession to hand his side a 14-12 lead. The response, however, was decisive.

Ryan Oosthuizen produced a timely intercept to halt Spanish momentum, and from the resulting possession Davids powered over to regain the lead. Zander Reynders then stepped inside his marker to score under the posts, before Luan Giliomee capped the performance with his first try in Blitzboks colours, sniping down the blindside late on.

South Africa 33 (12), Spain 14 (7)

Blitzboks – Tries: Shilton van Wyk, David Brits, Zain Davids, Zander Reynders, Luan Giliomee. Conversions: Ricardo Duarttee (2), Donavan Don (2).

Spain – Tries: Juan Ramos (2). Conversions: Jeremy Trevithick (2).