The Blitzboks crashed out in the semifinal of the final Sevens tournament of the World Series in Paris on Sunday.
Unbeaten in the tournament heading into their clash against old foes New Zealand in the semis, coach Neil Powell’s team simply didn’t have enough firepower in the final-four clash and lost 33-7.
Earlier in the tournament, South Africa cruised into the playoffs, winning all their matches in Pool B where they got the better of Kenya (29-12), Wales (22-7) and Australia (19-17), before beating Samoa (40-7) in the quarterfinal.
Having lost to New Zealand, the Blitzboks then faced USA in the third-place playoff.
And Powell’s outgoing champions refused to return home empty-handed, outscoring USA four tries to one to claim the bronze medal.
But the day belonged to Fiji.
Coach @Neil5Powell still proud of the squad. And so should we! @CastleFreeSA @FNBSA @ASICS_ZA pic.twitter.com/YjdtxsJoK2
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) June 2, 2019
Playing the US in the semifinal in what was a final for the series win, Fiji won that match comfortably 33-14 to make sure that they are crowned champions.
The Fijians sealed their crowning moment in style by beating New Zealand 35-24 in the final to win the Paris Sevens event.