Where are Blitzboks in standings after Perth Sevens?

The Blitzboks finished their Perth Sevens campaign on a high note by outplaying France 24-5 to finish the tournament in fifth place.

Argentina won their second successive tournament to retain their place at the top of the standings, while the Blitzboks are now tied in fourth spot with Ireland, behind Australia and Fiji after three tournaments.

Springbok Sevens head coach Sandile Ngcobo said the performance against France on Sunday morning doesn’t make up for the 14-12 defeat to Fiji in the quarter-final on Saturday, but the way the team concluded the tournament brought smiles to all involved.

“That result against Fiji just again showed the realities of this series – if you are only one percent off your game, your opponent gets a chance to beat you,” said Ngcobo.

“Against Fiji, that is exactly what happened. It was a tight one and we did not get the bounce of the ball, but instead of letting our heads down, the guys bounced back today. There was a lot of pride in that performance against France.”

So where are the Blitzboks after the latest result at the Perth Sevens?

The Blitzboks are now fourth in the standings, and 16 points behind surprise leaders Argentina.

Ryan Oosthuizen, the most experienced player for the Blitzboks in Perth, said they did not want to play for fifth place, but commended the team performance.

“We came here to make semi-finals and better, so it was disappointing coming off second against Fiji in a game that could have gone either way,” said Oosthuizen.

“That said, we did well today. Every point count in this format and we will take those for fifth place. We will go back home and prepare well and then we are off to Vancouver and Los Angeles, so we are lucky to have another opportunity so soon.”

Scorers:

South Africa 24 (12) – Tries: Shilton van Wyk, Tristan Leyds, Selvyn Davids, Donovan Don. Conversions: Ricardo Duarttee, Leyds.

France 5 (0) – Esteban Capila.