Tears, drama and Blitzboks glory: ‘Continue to unite our country with sport’

Blitzboks players walked down the tunnel at Stade Atlantique after a 14-12 win over Fiji on Saturday afternoon, some with smiles gleaming from ear to ear, and others with tears of joy streaming down their faces. 

South Africa were crowned reuglar season champions and have followed that up by becoming the 2026 HSBC SVNS World Championship winners. The Boks achieved that feat by qualifying for the semi-finals in Bordeaux. 

It was a remarkably dramatic day for the Blitzboks, who were almost eliminated from the World Championship race after dropping two pool matches. But the SVNS giants moved ahead into the Cup knockouts, with some other results going their way. 

Catch up on HSBC SVNS World Championship action on RugbyPass TV. You can create an account HERE.

Arch-rivals the All Blacks Sevens defeated Los Pumas Sevens, which sent the Boks through as one of the best third-placed teams. Waiting for South Africa in the knockouts was Fiji, who had almost ended their campaign earlier that day.  

The Blitzboks trailed 12-0 before a Sebastiaan Jobb double powered them towards glory. With Los Pumas Sevens and Australia failing to make the semi-finals, it was enough to wrap up the World Championship title with games still to play. 

“I hope it inspires them. I hope that we continue to unite our country with sport,” an emotional David Brits told RugbyPass in Bordeaux. 

“We’ve seen what the Springboks have done for our country. We’re just trying to add a little slice of the pizza so that we can all eat. 

“We want our whole country to be inspired by this and the grattitude from our side for the support that we do get is astronomical. I’m forever grateful.” 

South Africa’s Shilton van Wyk and Ryan Oosthuizen were the last two to stay back after the team huddle earlier on day one, watching New Zealand versus Argentina in a tournament-defining clash. 

That match came right down to the wire, with Akuila Rokolisoa ultimately setting the All Blacks Sevens on a path to victory. It was a three-point ball game at full-time, with the All Blacks Sevens doing enough to secure top spot out of the group.

Argentina bundled out of SVNS Bordeaux and World Championship contention, with South Africa back in control of their own destiny. It wasn’t easy in their second match of the day against Fiji, but the Blitzboks stood tall when it mattered most. 

“We were handed a little bit of a lifeline for this weekend. We were a little bit lucky to be in the quarters and luck was on our side. We knew we had to put that behind us,” Brits said. 

“To be back-to-back world champions… this is an incredible format with four different teams coming in and the level of competition is just unbelievable. It’s the toughest thing in my life and I know a lot of these guys will agree. 

“It’s unbelievable what we’ve done this season. As far as I know it’s historically one of the best if not the best which is incredible to be a part of. 

“The Lord’s blessed us and I’m just eternally grateful man.”