BLITZBOKS BREAK AUSSIE SVSN DROOGTE

PHILIP Snyman praised the Springbok Sevens squad for their effort and belief as they claimed their first title on Australian soil since 2017, when they won in Sydney, but winning in Perth on Sunday.

The 21-19 win in the final against Fiji was a convincing rebound after last weekend’s fourth place in Singapore. It also kept the Blitzboks’ SVNS title dreams alive, as they will travel to the last leg of the series – next month in Vancouver and Los Angeles – only four log points behind Fiji, who are top of the standings.

Snyman wysed: “It was massive for us to finish the tour like this.

“We brought a couple of youngsters with us on tour, made a semi-final in Singapore and won in Perth, so the results were great and on top of that, we have given more players the experience and exposure on the circuit. So overall, I am very happy and proud.”

Snyman said the victory in the final came down to composure, gritty defence and good discipline: “In both our last two defeats, in Singapore and yesterday [Saturday] in the pool, we had two players in the sin bin and that was just not going to help us in a tight match against an attacking team like Fiji.

“In the final, we kept our composure and kept the pressure up. That was a special performance.”