South Africa have gone back-to-back at their home HSBC SVNS Series event in Cape Town for the first time, beating Argentina in a thrilling men’s decider 21-19. Spurred on by a passionate home crowd, the Blitzboks won four last-minute thrillers in their five matches.
The Blitzboks kicked off their campaign at home with a last-gasp comeback win over Fiji, with Shilton van Wyk scoring a hat-trick of tries. They also secured hard-fought wins over the All Blacks Sevens and France during their run to the big dance.
Luciano Gonzalez and Marcos Moneta were on song for Los Pumas Sevens in the Cup Final, as they looked to win the Cape Town event for the first time in two years. It seemed the visitors were on track for glory before van Wyk inspired a memorable triumph.
The eventual Player of the Final set Christie Grobbelaar up for the match-levelling score, before Ricardo Duarttee kicked the Boks in front. They held on for a tense two-point triumph, sparking incredible scenes and reaction from fans post-game.
Earlier in the women’s decider, Australia made a statement with a commanding 26-12 win over New Zealand. It was 26-0 before the Black Ferns Sevens got on the board through Kelsey Teneti and two-time Olympic gold medallist Stacey Waaka.
South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand are equal first on the overall men’s standings after two events, while Australia and New Zealand are level on the women’s standings.
Next up, SVNS Singapore on January 31 to February 1.
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