SEVENS HEAVEN: Blitzbokke turned up the heat in Las Vegas, winning their first Sevens Series title in two years. Picture: SAPA
THE Blitzbokke produced a dramatic turnaround to claim their first International Rugby Board World Sevens Series title in almost two years when they beat New Zealand in Las Vegas on Sunday.
South Africa won the title with a 40- 21 win over the Blacks a week after they lost four of their five games in Wellington, which represented an all- time low for the team.
This was SA’s first Series since Las Vegas in 2011 and the second time they’ve won in the Nevada desert.
The return of playmaker Branco du Preez, the steadying influence and vision of veteran Paul Delport and the searing pace of newcomer Seabelo Senatla, transformed the team from the shambles of Wellington, into winners in Las Vegas.
Du Preez scored 18 points in the final as SA romped to a 40-7 lead before New Zealand scored two late consolation tries to give the score some respectability.
SA became the fifth different winner of the five tournaments played so far on this year’s circuit.
The Blitzbokke now occupy second on the standings with 73 points, still 23 adrift of leaders New Zealand and only two ahead of Samoa with four events left in the series.
“We set such a high standard for ourselves and we need to come out and perform like that every time,” said Delport.
“This is huge for us. We put in so much effort back home there are just no words to describe this winning feeling.”
The Boks topped Pool B with wins over Canada (17-5), Kenya (15-5) and Uruguay (45-0) before crushing Wales 26-0 in the quarterfinals.
The semifinal against Samoa proved to be the most dramatic game of the tournament with the sides locked at 7-7 at fulltime.
In the sudden-death extra-time, Delport and Chris Dry combined to put Senatla in space. The flyer used his pace to score with a swan-dive in the corner to set up a final against New Zealand.
“We’ve been putting in hard work but for some reason we haven’t been getting the rewards,” Treu said after the match.
“But we’ve managed a win now and every victory gives you confidence. Hopefully we can use this win to kick- start the rest of our season.
“It was massive having Branco back, especially as we have so many injured players at home. The experience he brought was vital, but all the players did their bit for this win.
“The guys are in tears because we haven’t enjoyed this feeling for a long time. Like they say, ‘you must lose quickly and win slowly’ and the players will have some time to savour this moment.”
The next tournament on the schedule is the blue-riband event on the calendar in Hong Kong from March 22-24 — one title SA has never won.
