A salvaged fifth-place finish in Perth kept the Blitzboks in the top four of the Sevens Series, while back-to-back titles have boosted Argentina’s place on top of the standings.
The Blitzboks beat France in the fifth-place playoff of the Perth Sevens on Sunday, after losing the quarter-final against Fiji.
The fifth-place finish in Perth has given the South Africa 12 points from the tournament, putting Sandie Ngcobo’s side on 42 overall after three tournaments this season.
Having come into the weekend in second place on the overall series standings, the Blitzboks have dropped down to fourth, after Australia claimed a silver medal, while Fiji finished in fourth place.
South Africa are level on series points with Perth’s bronze-medal winners Ireland, but ahead on the standings due to their gold medal win in Dubai.
Argentina, meanwhile, fortified their place on top of the standings after claiming back-to-back tournament wins by beating Australia in the final, having also won the gold medal in the previous tournament in Cape Town.
Vamos Argentina!@lospumas7arg reign supreme in Perth 🏆#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSPER pic.twitter.com/NjgNFaAi0f
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) January 28, 2024
The Sevens Series will take a month’s break before heading to North America for successive tournaments in Vancouver (23-25 February) and Los Angeles (2-3 March).
Photo: David Van Der Sandt/Gallo Images