The Blitzboks let a 14-point lead slip to start their Madrid Sevens campaign with a loss to Ireland in a game that went three minutes into overtime.
Ireland scored the winning try three minutes after the final hooter to snatch a come-from-behind 26-21 victory against South Africa on Friday.
Heartbreak for the @Blitzboks as Ireland score with the last play of the game to steal a 26-21 win.#HSBCSVNSMAD pic.twitter.com/YN25B42lmW
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) May 31, 2024
The Springbok Sevens suffered their fourth defeat in the last five games against Ireland and will now need to beat New Zealand and Fiji to progress from their pool and challenge for the cup.
Tries from Tiaan Pretorius and Tristan Leyds put South Africa 14-7 up and the Blitzboks extended that lead to 14 points when Quewin Nortje scored from the second half kick off.
However, Ireland launched an incredible comeback, punishing the Blitzboks for some poor defensive errors with an 85-metre try from Zac Ward before Gavin Mullin scored the first of his two tries, making it a two-point game with 90 seconds to play.
It appeared as though the Blitzboks had done enough to see out the when Siviwe Soyizwapi was tackled from behind and lost the ball forward in Ireland’s 22.
However, Ireland won a breakdown penalty and worked their way in South African territory, with Mullin latching onto an offload to snatch the win.
The Blitzboks will next face New Zealand in a must-win game for both teams on Saturday at 12.44pm.
Photo: Travis Prior/INPHO/Shutterstock