Blitzboks edge France in thriller to reach Cape Town Sevens final
Shilton van Wyk, seen here in action in the Blitzboks’ first game against Fiji, scored another two tries as they beat France to book their place in Sunday's final in Cape Town.
Image: Blitzboks on X
The Blitzboks booked their place in the Cape Town Sevens final with a narrow 22-17 win over France on Sunday afternoon.
Having come through the group with a 100% record, the South Africans were the favourites to go through against an equally impressive French outfit.
The men in green were immediately out of the blocks when Shilton van Wyk dotted down in the very first minute of the encounter. Three minutes later, Tristan Leyds caught the French napping, and some quick thinking saw him dive into the corner for the team’s second score of the game to make it 10-0.
France were quick to get back into business when Jordan Sepho cut the South Africans’ lead down to five points with a try in the corner, but Van Wyk, who has been having a marvellous week, crossed the try line once again to stretch their lead to 17-5.
Josselin Bouhier made sure that the French stayed within touching distance when he scored under the posts on the stroke of half time. Another Bouhier try immediately after the break saw the scores level at 17-17.
With the nervous crowd looking on, Ryan Oosthuizen eased everyone’s nerves when he scored late on to give the South Africans a hard-fought victory, which saw them book their place in the final, scheduled to kick off at 4.43pm.
With momentum on their side and the home crowd roaring them forward, the Blitzboks will now turn their attention to the final against Argentina, where they have a chance to cap off a perfect weekend in front of their own supporters. If they can reproduce the composure and clinical edge shown against France, Cape Town may yet witness another unforgettable chapter in South African Sevens rugby.
IOL Sport