SVNS Cape Town: Blitzboks win like Springboks, Australia make a statement

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.

Let’s talk about the Springboks

That’s not a typo.

It’s a bold way to start this piece, but let’s talk about the two-time defending Men’s Rugby World Cup champions for a moment.

South Africa fell to Ireland in pool play at the 2023 World Cup, setting up a showdown with France in the quarter-finals. The Boks won that match by a single point, and that trend carried through to the semi-finals and the big dance.

Handre Pollard was the hero for the Springboks in their one-point win over the England, and the defending champions held on for a tense one-point win over the All Blacks in the final. The Boks showed throughout that run to glory that winning is in the team’s DNA.

It was the same story for the Blitzboks at their home SVNS Series stop in the Western Cape. In four of their five matches, the Blitzboks overcame Olympic-level opposition by scoring tries inside the final minute of play.

Shilton van Wyk scored a hat-trick as South Africa beat Fiji 24-21 first up, before the Boks secured their place in the final four with a last-gasp 19-14 win over the All Blacks Sevens – Ronald Brown crossing for the match-winner in the 14^th minute.

After a one-sided win over Great Britain, the South Africans defeated France 22-17 in the semis, with Ryan Oosthuizen running in the go-ahead try with less than 60 seconds left. The atmosphere at DHL Stadium looked nothing short of electric.

In the big one, van Wyk set up Christi Grobbelaar for a late try, before  Ricardo Duarttee kicked the hosts in front with the conversion. With all of the pressure that comes with representing South Africa, the Blitzboks showed, as the Springboks have, what it takes to be the best.

Australia are clearly World Championships favourites

Australia won all of their international warm-up matches during Ignite7 in Tauranga last month, including some big wins over New Zealand. They went into SVNS Series full of belief, but stumbled at the first hurdle in Dubai.

The Black Ferns Sevens saved their best performance for last at the season-opener, securing a one-sided win over the Australians. Jorja Miller was named Player of the Final, as the reigning world champions began their title defence in style.

But as is the nature of the world’s top-flight sevens circuit, SVNS Series athletes didn’t have to wait long to compete for another crown. Fast-forward to the Cup Final in Cape Town and it was the same two rivals battling for glory, but this time, it was a vastly different story.

Isabella Nasser won a pilfer penalty 30 seconds into the match, which quickly swung the match’s momentum in Australia’s favour. Heidi Dennis ended up scoring moments later, given enough time and space to beat Kelsey Teneti’s tackle attempt.

Teagan Levi and co-captain Nasser added more points to Australia’s lead later in the half, before Maddison Levi raced away for another five-pointer to start the second term. Australia led by a commanding margin before New Zealand got on the board.

Teneti and Stacey Waaka gave the New Zealanders a glimmer of hope deep in the piece, but the Australians hung on for a famous win. This could be a sign of things to come, with the Aussies finding their groove in Cape Town – a scary sight for other teams on the circuit.

Nasser, the Levi sisters, Madison Ashby and Mackenzie Davis are all getting better with every minute on the field. That’s not to say the Black Ferns Sevens won’t improve, but the Australians should be looked at as the favourites for silverware from now on.

There’s something inevitable about Argentina

We’ve all seen the clip of Thanos in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ speaking about the inevitability of his impending success. It’s sparked countless sporting cliches over the years, and this passage will be no different.

Let’s cut right to the chase.

There’s something inevitable about Argentina.

Los Pumas Sevens have collected many gold medals on the SVNS Series over the years, much like Thanos going after those shiny space stones. They’re a challenger for titles more often than not, and that trend appears set to continue.

Ricardo Duarttee scored the match-winning conversion with 30 seconds or less left, which sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Meanwhile, you could see just how much that defeat hurt Los Pumas Sevens, with the likes of Marcos Moneta shown on the broadcast.

Luciano Gonzalez was one of the players of the tournament, Santiago Mare was superb on both sides of the ball, and Santiago Alvarez made a difference in key moments throughout the two-day event. Los Pumas Sevens remain a very, very good side.

This is a team that’s used to winning now.

But they’ll be in this position again.

It’s a matter of when, not if.

It’s inevitable, much like Thanos.

France are the biggest threat to NZ and Australia’s dominance

France won their final match at the season-opener in Dubai, smashing Great Britain 46-5 in the seventh-place playoff. For a team that has pushed New Zealand and Australia in the past, an uncharacteristically poor weekend came to an end on a winning note.

After the overused cliché of Thanos above, it seems appropriate to dish out another: a week is a long time in rugby sevens. With the circuit heading to Cape Town, France had a chance to make amends, and they did just that.

The French started the weekend with a heavy loss to Australia but hit their stride with pool-stage wins over Japan and Canada. Japan finished third at the Emirates Dubai 7s, while Canada are the current Olympic silver medallists.

Les Bleues Sevens lost their semi-final to the Black Ferns Sevens 7-19, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Alycia Christiaens raced away for the opening points of the match as French fans dared to dream of an upset, but the New Zealanders showcased their class to win that fixture.

France bounced back with a three-point win over the USA in the third-place playoff, with Aelig Tregouet scoring in the 15^th minute. That last-gasp winner was the result of their resilience and determination over the last two weekends.

Lou Noel was one of the players of the tournament along with captain Lili Dezou. This is a team that’s going to get better and better throughout the season, and it’s entirely possible that they’re the ones to shock New Zealand and/or Australia at some stage.

SVNS has never been this competitive

Rejoice, rugby fans.

The SVNS Series has never been this good.

With a new competition format seeing the top eight teams in women’s and men’s sevens compete for glory around the world, there are more high-stakes game than ever before. Every match is practically a quarter-final, or in other terms, they’re must-win games.

The All Blacks Sevens triumphed over Australia in the Dubai decider to start the season. One week later, New Zealand secured a fifth-place finish in Cape Town, while the Australians beat Spain in a thriller in the seventh-place playoff.

Spain finished the 2024/25 league in third and placed second at the winner-takes-all World Championship, but they’re yet to make the semi-finals this season. Even Argentina, who have been a dominant force on the circuit for years, failed to make the final four in Dubai.

The SVNS Series has genuinely never been this competitive.

In women’s sevens, Australia and New Zealand are still the teams to beat, but the battle in that next tier of teams is fierce. Japan have emerged as a force, beating Canada in three meetings already this season.

France, Canada and the USA are all more than capable of making a Cup Final this season, and Fijiana could also cause an upset or two. An inexperienced Great Britain side have come a long way in two weeks too, making every match unpredictable.