The Blitzboks’ march towards Bordeaux Sevens glory came to a crushing halt on Sunday as a rampant French side dismantled South Africa 21-12 in a semi-final that promised much but delivered heartbreak for the visitors.
Playing in front of a raucous home crowd, Les Bleus turned on the style when it mattered most, overturning a halftime stalemate to book their spot in the final and leave the South Africans contemplating what might have been.
The opening exchanges suggested this would be a battle for the ages. France struck first blood through Enahemo Artaud, who crossed in the third minute to send the partisan crowd into raptures. But the Blitzboks, never ones to take a backward step, hit back almost immediately when Tristan Leyds found the whitewash in the fifth minute. Ricardo Duarttee’s clinical conversion levelled proceedings at 7-7, setting up what appeared to be a tantalising contest.
At the interval, neither side had yielded an inch in what was developing into a physical chess match on the Bordeaux turf.
The second half, however, belonged entirely to the hosts. France unleashed a devastating double-strike that left South Africa reeling. Rayan Rebbadj breached the Blitzboks’ defence in the 10th minute, and before the visitors could regroup, Antoine Zeghdar had added another just 60 seconds later. The 14-7 advantage proved insurmountable.
Donavan Don showed the trademark Blitzboks fighting spirit with a late try in the 13th minute, but by then the damage was done. France’s clinical finishing and territorial dominance had sealed the deal, and the final whistle confirmed a 21-12 victory for the French.
The defeat is particularly bitter for South Africa, who had already secured the World Championship title on Saturday by reaching the semi-finals. Having achieved their primary objective, the Blitzboks will have wanted to cap off a stellar tournament with silverware, but France had other ideas.
Despite the disappointment, there’s still business to attend to. The Blitzboks will now shift focus to the third-place playoff at 16:30 (SA time), where they’ll face either New Zealand or Spain. A bronze medal remains firmly within reach, and Philip Snyman’s charges will be determined to end the Bordeaux leg on a positive note.
The Cup dream may be over, but the Blitzboks have shown throughout this tournament that they possess the quality and resilience to compete at the highest level. Sunday’s bronze medal match will provide the perfect opportunity to prove it once more.
Read about the Blitzboks full journey in France on KickOff.com
