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Blitzboks win World Championship in LA

football05 May 2025 03:02
By:Brenden Nel
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The Springbok Sevens team gave themselves a true Hollywood ending as they won the HSBC World Championship in Los Angeles in the early hours of Monday morning, beating upstarts Spain 19-5 in the final.

While officially the Blitzboks are crowned “World Champions” - the irony of this in a country whose domestic sports carry the same tag - the glory from finishing the season on a high note will be enough for them.

Argentina won the HSBC World SVNS Series league, with World Rugby deciding on a season ending format World Championship with the winners being given the tag, but the league is still seen as the tougher format to win.

Still, that shouldn’t take away from an incredible performance by the Blitzboks, who had to overcome Olympic champions France, Argentina and Great Britain in their pools and then put on a dominant day two display to down New Zealand 26-5 and then beat the most improved side on the tour, Spain, in the final.

PLAYED TO POTENTIAL

It was a weekend where everything went right, injuries stayed to a minimum and the Blitzboks played to some unbelievable potential to show just how good they were. For the first time this season Philip Snyman had a fully fit squad to choose from, and their preparations for the two day tournament were perfect.

Since Snyman’s arrival, the Blitzboks have restored pride in winning a bronze medal at the Olympics, being crowned champions in Cape Town in front of their home fans and now winning in Los Angeles.

This was their fifth tournament win in the USA, with three Las Vegas titles and the first LA Sevens title before this showing they clearly enjoy the tournament.

While some of the tournaments have disappointed - especially the loss in Hong Kong - their fourth spot in the overall standings and two tournament victories will be more than sufficient for SA Rugby to know they have done the right job in appointing Snyman fulltime and look forward to developing the side more in the coming year.

UNSTOPPABLE

Snyman was gushing after his team’s victory, understandably stating his pride for all to see.

"The team never stopped believing. They played five phenomenal games and were unstoppable. This team can go places. I am very proud of them,” he said at the end of the final.

Their opponents Spain have been sensational this year, being ranked 10th last season and finished ahead of the Blitzboks in third during the regular season. While they haven’t won an event yet, their impressive progress makes them the rising stars of World Sevens.

In the showdown with their oldest rugby rivals New Zealand, the Blitzboks put on a dominating display from the opening whistle to ensure their spot in the final.

Their ability to pounce on every mistake was highlighted from the start as New Zealand’s first lineout produced a wayward pass, and Shilton van Wyk pounced, booting the ball forward and collecting for the first try.

Selvyn Davids manipulated the defence exceptionally well two minutes later, drawing two defenders before sending Quewin Nortje thundering down the far touchline to beat the last tackle and run around to score under the posts.

The Blitzboks further rocked New Zealand when Ronald Brown also drew the defence, putting Van Wyk down a short run on the opposite wing to go in at the corner, leaving the Blitzboks 21-0 up at the break.

NORTJE LOST HIS SHIRT

Nortje got his second at the start of the second half, but lost his shirt in the process. A cross kick from Brown was pinpoint, but Kiwi defender Frank Vaenuku got a hold of a bit of his shirt, held on as he twirled around and it ripped at the same time, but the slingshot result meant he could twist around to go over and score.

Vaenuku finally got the All Blacks on the board deep in the second half, giving them some hope, but this was never to be their day as the Blitzboks moved to the final.

In the final, despite some pressure at the beginning, it was their talisman Selvyn Davids who set the field on fire, scoring the opening try with dancing feet that has made him such an elusive attacker on the field.

Davids took the ball from a scrum in his own 22, stepped not one, but two defenders before pinning his ears back and motoring downfield to score untouched in an exceptional individual try.

Spain have not been the surprise element on this year’s SVNS Series for nothing, and their superstar Pol Pla - who has been nominated as one of the Sevens Players of the year - got just too much room on the near touchline and used his speed to beat the cover defence to run in a scintillating try.

NERVES HELD IN FINAL MINUTES

It would all come down to the final three minutes with just two points separating the two sides, and it was the Blitzboks’ nerves which held firm.

Mfundo Ndhlovu had the benefit of a bounced ball pass that held up the defence for a split second, and allowed him to shift gears as he moved past the defence on the outside to run in untouched and put the Blitzboks more than a score clear.

And it was Ricky Duarte who sealed the match with seconds to go by breaking through a tackle off some short passing to score a well-worked try and give the South Africans victory.

It ended the perfect weekend for the Blitzboks, and the perfect ending to a tough first season in charge for Snyman.

But none of that mattered as the champagne flowed. The Boks are “World Champions” again, and that is all that counts.

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