The Blitzboks on Sunday, 6 February, won the HSBC Sydney Sevens tournament, beating England 29-14 in the final, played at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

This win, their third in the 2016/17 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, also extended their lead in the overall series, with the Blitzboks (85) now 17 points in front of England (68), with Fiji (64) and New Zealand (56) further back.

The victory is also the second in as many weeks, after the Blitzboks bagged the HSBC Wellington Sevens a week before. They won the opening tournament of the current series, in Dubai, back in December last year.

Philip Snyman, Seabelo Senatla and Justin Geduld all scored first-half tries, with Branco du Preez adding two conversions to give South Africa a commanding 19-0 lead at the break. A second try by Geduld, soon after the restart, pushed the South Africans to a 24-0 lead and although Tim Mitchell scored a converted try for England, they were playing catch-up rugby. Stephan Dippenaar, who joined the playing squad in place of injured Werner Kok, sealed a memorable couple of days for him with a fine try and at 29-7, the match was out of reach for England.

They did score a last-minute try through Dan Norton, but time ran out for England, who won the HSBC Cape Town Sevens tournament in December. Senatla, the leading try-scorer in the series, was for the second week in a row named HSBC Player of the Final. The winger, who bagged nine tries in Sydney and 32 in the series, praised his team mates.

"It is incredible. The guys are just magicians, hats off to them, I am just the finisher of the moves. It is bitter sweet, we play here with family so it is a pity to be leaving the family but it’s a new challenge I am excited for,” said Senatla, who now links up with the DHL Stormers for Vodacom Super Rugby duties. – Source: www.sport24.co.za ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙

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