Wow, what a game! New Zealand gave the Blitzboks a real go, but the South Africans displayed unbelievable tenacity to go through to the Cape Town Sevens final with a 14-7 victory on Sunday.
The South Africans will face England, who easily beat Scotland 33-14 in the second Cup semi-final, in the title decider at 7.44pm.
The Kiwis, no doubt stung by the 40-0 thrashing at the hands of the Blitzboks at the Dubai Sevens last week, showed much greater appetite for the hard yards this time around as they knocked the hosts backwards in the tackle.
They got numbers into the breakdown as well to unsettle the free-flowing approach of Neil Powell’s team, and looked sharper on attack initially as well.
Newcomer Jonathan Ruru brought some dynamic footwork to the party out wide as he would dummy one way and step inside the next, and one such mazy run led to the opening try as he found Sherwin Stowers to put New Zealand in the lead and stun the boisterous home crowd into silence.
But the Blitzboks came roaring back, with former captain Kyle Brown running an outstanding angle once again to put flyer Seabelo Senatla into a gap on the inside. Senatla – who is nursing a minor injury sustained against Wales in the quarter-final – drew the final defender before unleashing Branco du Preez to level the scores.
The South Africans lost Brown at the subsequent kickoff after he fell awkwardly following a collision with a New Zealand player, and he left the arena with an ice pack on his right knee and is a doubtful starter for the final.
It didn’t take long for the Blitzboks to take the lead, though, and it was one to remember. They passed the ball around in their own 22 as the Kiwis pressed hard on defence, but Rosko Specman spotted an opening to break the line, and then wormed his way past a few more defenders to race all the way for the touchdown.
It brought the crowd to its feet on a warm Cape Town afternoon, and was an ideal way for the Blitzboks to stamp their authority on the game.
The New Zealanders threatened to take the game into extra time with a late attack, but a huge hit by Chris Dry allowed captain Philip Snyman to contest the breakdown and win the decisive penalty inside the SA 22.
Now they’re just one step away from defending their title, but they will hope to have Senatla fit for the final, especially with Brown unlikely to be ready to play.
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POINTS-SCORERS
South Africa – Tries: Branco du Preez, Rosko Specman. Conversions: Du Preez (1), Cecil Afrika (1).
New Zealand – Try: Sherwin Stowers. Conversion: Rocky Khan (1).