Blitzboks claim brilliant back-to-back SVNS titles in Cape Town

A dummy, an inside shimmy and a try for Sonwabo Sakoyi and suddenly South Africa were back with a score of 19-14 to Argentina.

Christie Grobbelaar crossed the whitewash a few minutes later and South Africa were HSBC SVNS Cape Town champions for the second year in a row, winning 21-19.

The Blitzboks side produced an improved performance after an underwhelming fifth-place finish in Dubai last week, in round one of the global series, under the sweltering Mother City sun.

The home side started the final on the back foot with the injuries of Ronald Brown and Tristan Leyds. The latter failed his HIA after the 22-17 semifinal victory against France.

In the first two minutes of the game, Argentine superstar Luciano Gonzalez broke through the Blitzboks’ defence to push his side to a 7-0 lead. South Africa showed the effects of that try, with Zain Davids spilling the ball and the side making other avoidable errors.

The crowd did not falter, however, with cheers of Everything Is Gonna Be Alright bouncing around the stadium. Rectifying his mistake, Davids caught a loose ball, initiating a turnover. Donovan Don capitalised on the counterattack, delivering the Blitzboks’ first try and equalising 7-7.

The home side caved under pressure and a win seemed unlikely – Argentina were 19-7 up after an early try in the second half. But young gun Sakoyi, who scored his debut try against Great Britain on Saturday, brought the South Africans closer after a spectacular solo try.

“It’s any kid’s dream to make their debut in Cape Town,” said Sakoyi after the match. “I don’t have words to describe the feeling. I hope in the future there are more guys who can experience this.”

Cape Town gees

Off the field, Cape Town’s premier sporting venue hosted more than 68,124 spectators (36,183 on Saturday and 31,941 on Sunday) who were treated to performances by Jimmy Nevis and YoungstaCPT, among others — a wholly Capetonian spectacle.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was in attendance, donning the South African colours. Kolisi, known for his leadership in 15s, gathered the energy and support of the fans with a brief DJ set and a dance-off.

It could be said that the energy from the home fans aided the Blitzboks’ clean sweep, with fans roaring at every carry and pass. There is no doubt that Cape Town acted as the twelfth man this weekend.

“Of course we can hear the fans, we feed off their energy. They have always been there for us, and we would like to give our best results,” said impact player Selvyn Davids.

The final of finals

Ahead of the final, Santiago Mare from Argentina told Daily Maverick: “Well, South Africa is playing with their people here… but we have to still do our things, thinking about our system, and trust we will do all the things we have trained for.”

When asked how they would deal with South Africa’s pace on the counter, Mare said they would rely on their strong defence against the all-rounder home squad.

But their strength and physicality were no match for the Blitzboks on home soil. Trailing 19-7 with five minutes left on the clock, debutant Sakoyi and Grobbelaar delivered the final two tries of the game, and South Africa breathed a sigh of relief as they narrowly avoided defeat.

“One of the things that is in the character of this team is that we never give up despite how it goes in the first half,” Impi Visser said. “We try and fight for that inch, we try and fight for that one more ball possession because I know once we get our hands on the ball, this team can be dangerous.”

On the back foot

South Africa played Fiji in their first pool game and ensured they did not repeat their defeat from last week, walking away with a tight 24-21 victory.

The Blitzboks struggled to match the physicality and intensity of Fiji, who recorded 15 tackles in the game, seven more than the home side. Despite a lacklustre defence from the green-and-gold squad, allowing three clean Fijian breaks, South Africa came back with a hat-trick from Shilton van Wyk.

Then they made it two from two with a narrow 19-14 win against New Zealand. The Blitzboks had to show resilience after a first half of silly mistakes.

Multiple knock-ons, two yellow cards and gaps in defence allowed New Zealand to dominate, with South Africa lucky to walk away from the first stanza only 7-0 down. However, as with Fiji, the Blitzboks came back the stronger side, scoring three tries in the second half.

Keeping up the intensity, South Africa made sure of rectifying their mistakes and dominated against Great Britain from the get-go. Not stepping foot in South Africa’s half until much later in the game, Great Britain did not stand a chance against the Blitzboks and the home crowd, going down 41-7.

“[We are] very happy with today,” said Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman. “We knew it was going to be tough, playing Fiji first up and then playing New Zealand afterwards and then finishing off with [Great Britain].

“So, I think the first two games, a lot of heart, a lot of effort and attitude, so we can’t fault the guys. I don’t think we were as clinical, and I think in the last game we were a little bit more controlled.”

A ‘war’ against France

All weekend, South Africa has not been able to switch off. Every match was a final, and it was no different when they took to the pitch in the heat of the day to face France in the semifinal. They knew it would be physical, with the French recording nearly 50 tackles over three games on day one.

“We knew we were going to have a war against [France],” said Blitzboks forward Davids. “I think the guys expected it, and we actually took the war to them.”

South Africa started the first half by maintaining possession. They were strong and clinical in the breakdowns, nullifying France’s attack, who managed to enter South Africa’s half only in the final two minutes of the first stanza.

France have yet to beat the Blitzboks this season. South Africa’s pace and physicality have been too much for them. The home side earned their place in the final with a 22-17 victory.

Just before South Africa took the title, the crowd was treated to a thrilling women’s final where Australia denied New Zealand a back-to-back gold. Cheers erupted from the Australian sideline with mere seconds to go on the clock as they realised New Zealand would not come back from a 26-12 deficit. DM