Rugby World Cup Sevens Champions Crowned

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By Smile Staff Reporter


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Fiji's pre-match tradition ahead of kick off at the Rugby World Cup Sevens
Photo Credit - Mike Potgieter

 

The Flying Fijians are Rugby World Cup Sevens champions once more!

 

 

It is a title have eluded the Pacific Islanders for seventeen years, and in Cape Town, they are more than deserved winners.

 

Fiji wasn’t going to let the Melrose Cup slip through their fingers again, producing a spectacular performance in the final to down the defending champions, New Zealand.

 

 

Up Top Down Under

Australia will also depart the Mother City with Silverware in their carry-on.

 

From the start of the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the Wallaby Women were a cut above the rest. In fact, that has been the case the entire season.

 

Their only real challenge this weekend came in the final against their neighbours across the Tasman sea, New Zealand. Two points were the difference at the end of the fourteen minutes. A last-minute try handed the Kiwis an opportunity to take the match to extra time. However, the conversion attempt was dragged to the left.

 

Success in Cape Town means that the Australian Women’s team earned a hattrick of titles this season. They won gold in Birmingham at the Commonwealth Games; they won the HSBC Sevens Series title, and now are Rugby World Cup Sevens Champions.

 

Seventh place for Springbok Sevens

It is unfortunate that team South Africa couldn’t live up to the expectations. The Melrose Cup is one that has eluded the Blitzboks since its inception in 1993.

 

The Blitzboks were in a golden age of sevens under the leadership of coach Neill Powell and his assistants. That age came to an end this weekend, with all of South Africa pinning their hopes on a golden goodbye.

 

The Blitzboks backline at the Rugby World Cup Sevens
Photo Credit – Mike Potgieter

While the Springbok Sevens team started the weekend with a convincing win over Chile, the wheels fell off on day two, where they fell to an unlikely defeat to Ireland in the Championship Quarter-Final.

 

Sakoyisa Makata assesing the game situation at the Rugby World Cup Sevens
Photo Credit – Mike Potgieter

Their woes resumed on the third and final day, where they fell to Argentina in the play-off for a potential fifth-place finish.

 

Seventh is the spot they eventually had to settle for, and in the process, ended their tournament on a high. It was a thumping win over Samoa, giving Neil Powell one last W.

 

 

Bok Women Unlucky in Thirteenth place playoff

The Springbok Sevens Women still lag behind the powerhouse nations when it comes to development. There is a lot of catching up to do. The attitude is there, and the skill will soon follow.

 

Like the men, they just got the one win this weekend. That came in the play-off match for potential 13th place against Colombia. The Women’s outfit showed glimpses of what they’re capable of, as they scored five unanswered tries. Nadine Roos dotting down four of them.

 

Women's Springbok Sevens team running out for their Rugby World Cup Sevens match against Colombia
Photo Credit – Mike Potgieter

Dissimilar to the men, their last match ended in defeat. They fell short of thirteenth place by two points against China.

 

 

While the ladies performance can be excused, the Blitzboks just dropped the ball. There’s a massive task waiting on the incoming Blitzbok coach. Whomever it is, he won’t have long to fix this broke sevens team.

 

The 2022/23 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series starts in just a few months, with the third stop on the calendar back in Cape Town. That will be a tournament where this Springbok team will have to put in a massive performance. Not only to get their reputation of giant-slayers back, but also to win back the favour of the Cape Town faithful.

 

 

Read More: RWC7s Day 2, Cape Towns Best Dressed

Smile Staff Reporter
Smile Staff Reporter

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