It was a slow start for South Africa’s teams at the HSBC SVNS Los Angeles with both the Springbok Sevens and Springbok Women’s Sevens beaten. Image: SA Rugby.

Blitzboks bruised and battered by All Blacks Sevens

Things went from bad to worse for the Blitzboks as they suffered a 31-7 hammering against New Zealand in the fifth-place playoff on Sunday.

by Mariette Adams

10-12-2023 17:51

in Sevens

It was a slow start for South Africa’s teams at the HSBC SVNS Los Angeles with both the Springbok Sevens and Springbok Women’s Sevens beaten. Image: SA Rugby.

In keeping with the earlier disappointment they inflicted on their fans, the Blitzboks again produced a substandard performance in their fifth-place match against the All Blacks and had to settle for a sixth-place finish at their home tournament.

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MATCH RECAP: SOUTH AFRICA V NEW ZEALAND

Despite it not being the match they’d wanted to feature in towards the business end of the Cape Town Sevens, the Blitzboks had to settle for this fifth-place playoff because of their earlier elimination from the Cup. And they underperformed in the clash as well.

Erratic passing, static attack and poor defence structures were the order of the day, which only increased the visible frustration of the players on the field, the coaches positioned on the sideline and the home supporters in the crowd.

The All Blacks Sevens side opened up a 10-point lead courtesy of two unconverted tries. The matter in which those tries came about would have annoyed coach Sandile Ngcobo to no end and when the referee failed to stop the game after youngster Quewin Nortje suffered a head knock which left him concussed, Ngcobo had to be physically restraint by his assistant Philip Snyman on the sideline.

LIVE RESULTS: Blitzboks, Cape Town Sevens on Sunday

Be that as it may, the Blitzboks pulled a try back in the second half when Ronald Brown dotted down to close the gap to three points. But any hopes of a complete comeback was squashed when a rare South African attack came to nothing close to the tryline and New Zealand pounced on the error to run the length of the field to score at the other end.

With the clock well into stoppage time, the Blitzboks kept the ball alive in an attempt to score a consolation try to cheer up the subdued crowd, but like all else before, that too went nowhere and New Zealand dotted down again to put the icing on the cake.