{"id":294967,"date":"2025-12-07T09:48:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T07:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T10:09:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T08:09:58","slug":"blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Defending Cape Town champions South Africa, booked their place in the last four of the HBSC Sevens winning all three of their matches to set up a Cup decider against France at 12:22 on Sunday, 7 December in the DHL Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the other decider, Argentinia will face Fiji at 12:44.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third try of Shilton van Wyk\u2019s hat-trick, after the hooter, pulled victory out of the jaws of defeat for hosts and defending champions South Africa, as they came from behind on the final play of their opening match to beat Fiji 24-21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"South
South Africa players celebrate after Sonwabo Sokoyi (L) scored a try during the pool A HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series men’s rugby match between South Africa and Great Britain. PHOTO: AFP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Blitzboks went two for two as a thrilling score from Ronald Brown sent South Africa free and clear in their second outing of the day against New Zealand, despite twice playing with a numerical disadvantage. His touchdown meant Scott Gregory\u2019s after-the-hooter score did not affect the result. It ended 19-14 to the hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their last match, South Africa gave their ecstatic home fans plenty to cheer as they beat Great Britain 41-7 to take the defence of their title into the semi-finals. Sonwabo Sokoyi scored on debut, while Roan Frostwick touched down for Great Britain late on to avoid a second nilling in two tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their last match, South Africa gave their ecstatic home fans plenty to cheer as they beat Great Britain 41-7 to take the defence of their title into the semi-finals. Sonwabo Sokoyi scored on debut, while Roan Frostwick touched down for Great Britain late on to avoid a second nilling in two tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Play-offs will take place with the final being played at 16:43.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Blitzboks went through the the semi-finals in the Cape Town Sevens being played Sunday, 7 December in the DHL Stadium. They will face France in the decider.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":294970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"74","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"22","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[22],"tags":[8835,8366,8861,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-294967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport","tag-blitzboks","tag-cape-town","tag-sevens-rugby","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nBlitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town | VrystaatKroon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Blitzboks went through the the semi-finals in the Cape Town Sevens being played Sunday, 7 December in the DHL Stadium. They will face France in the decider.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Blitzboks went through the the semi-finals in the Cape Town Sevens being played Sunday, 7 December in the DHL Stadium. They will face France in the decider.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"VrystaatKroon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VrystaatKroon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-07T07:48:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-07T08:09:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vrystaatkroon.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lientjie Mentz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lientjie Mentz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lientjie Mentz\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9261815c8892baa2ce9bdf3d7911b749\"},\"headline\":\"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-07T07:48:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-07T08:09:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":306,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Blitzboks\",\"Cape Town\",\"Sevens Rugby\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town | VrystaatKroon\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-07T07:48:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-07T08:09:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Blitzboks went through the the semi-finals in the Cape Town Sevens being played Sunday, 7 December in the DHL Stadium. They will face France in the decider.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"South Africa's Sonwabo Sokoyi scores a try against Great Britain. PHOTO: AFP\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/\",\"name\":\"VrystaatKroon\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"VrystaatKroon\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vrystaad-kroon-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vrystaad-kroon-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"VrystaatKroon\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VrystaatKroon\\\/\"],\"description\":\"VrystaatKroon is a local community newspaper serving the Eastern and Northern Free State regions of South Africa. It covers a wide range of topics, including local news, events, and issues affecting the community. The newspaper aims to keep residents informed and connected, fostering a sense of unity and engagement in the area. VrystaatKroon has loyal readers who look forward to receiving the newspaper in their mailboxes twice a month on a Wednesday \u2013 free of charge. is a local community newspaper serving the Eastern and Northern Free State regions of South Africa. It covers a wide range of topics, including local news, events, and issues affecting the community. The newspaper aims to keep residents informed and connected, fostering a sense of unity and engagement in the area.\",\"email\":\"vrystaatkroon@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27514047600\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9261815c8892baa2ce9bdf3d7911b749\",\"name\":\"Lientjie Mentz\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lientjie Mentz\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vrystaatkroon\\\/author\\\/lientjie-mentz\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town | VrystaatKroon","description":"The Blitzboks went through the the semi-finals in the Cape Town Sevens being played Sunday, 7 December in the DHL Stadium. They will face France in the decider.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town","og_description":"The Blitzboks went through the the semi-finals in the Cape Town Sevens being played Sunday, 7 December in the DHL Stadium. They will face France in the decider.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/","og_site_name":"VrystaatKroon","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VrystaatKroon\/","article_published_time":"2025-12-07T07:48:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-07T08:09:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vrystaatkroon.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lientjie Mentz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lientjie Mentz","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/"},"author":{"name":"Lientjie Mentz","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#\/schema\/person\/9261815c8892baa2ce9bdf3d7911b749"},"headline":"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town","datePublished":"2025-12-07T07:48:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-07T08:09:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/"},"wordCount":306,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg","keywords":["Blitzboks","Cape Town","Sevens Rugby","Top"],"articleSection":["Sport"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/","name":"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town | VrystaatKroon","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-07T07:48:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-07T08:09:58+00:00","description":"The Blitzboks went through the the semi-finals in the Cape Town Sevens being played Sunday, 7 December in the DHL Stadium. They will face France in the decider.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"South Africa's Sonwabo Sokoyi scores a try against Great Britain. PHOTO: AFP"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/blitzboks-to-take-on-france-in-sevens-semi-finals-in-cape-town\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Blitzboks to take on France in Sevens semi-finals in Cape Town"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/","name":"VrystaatKroon","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#organization","name":"VrystaatKroon","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vrystaad-kroon-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vrystaad-kroon-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"VrystaatKroon"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VrystaatKroon\/"],"description":"VrystaatKroon is a local community newspaper serving the Eastern and Northern Free State regions of South Africa. It covers a wide range of topics, including local news, events, and issues affecting the community. The newspaper aims to keep residents informed and connected, fostering a sense of unity and engagement in the area. VrystaatKroon has loyal readers who look forward to receiving the newspaper in their mailboxes twice a month on a Wednesday \u2013 free of charge. is a local community newspaper serving the Eastern and Northern Free State regions of South Africa. It covers a wide range of topics, including local news, events, and issues affecting the community. The newspaper aims to keep residents informed and connected, fostering a sense of unity and engagement in the area.","email":"vrystaatkroon@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27514047600","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/#\/schema\/person\/9261815c8892baa2ce9bdf3d7911b749","name":"Lientjie Mentz","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f10468872f142f3de0353ab7e087a027f9286f1e3d5c0df6d52e7354f92b8c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lientjie Mentz"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/author\/lientjie-mentz\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AFP__20251206__87BK7WB__v1__HighRes__RugbySevensRsaGbr.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":294775,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/springbok-sevens-crash-out-dubai-7s-playoffs-fiji-argentina\/","url_meta":{"origin":294967,"position":0},"title":"Blitzboks face reality check as Dubai 7s love affair crumbles","author":"Dustin Wetdewich","date":"30 November 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Blitzboks' love affair with the Emirates Dubai 7s appears on the rocks after the 11-time champions crashed out of playoffs for a second consecutive year. Pool A defeats to Fiji and Argentina ended their opener dreams on Saturday. The Blitzboks will face Spain for fifth place at 15:00 on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sport"","block_context":{"text":"Sport","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/sport\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Against Fiji, the Blitzboks started well when Ronald Brown spotted a gap to make it 5-0. However, the wheels came off immediately and never returned to their previous efficiency levels.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AFP__20251129__86KA3UP__v1__MidRes__RugbyuSevensFijRsa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AFP__20251129__86KA3UP__v1__MidRes__RugbyuSevensFijRsa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AFP__20251129__86KA3UP__v1__MidRes__RugbyuSevensFijRsa.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AFP__20251129__86KA3UP__v1__MidRes__RugbyuSevensFijRsa.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AFP__20251129__86KA3UP__v1__MidRes__RugbyuSevensFijRsa.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":264689,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/cape-town-marathon-sells-out-again-as-africa-eyes-historic-world-major-status\/","url_meta":{"origin":294967,"position":1},"title":"Cape Town Marathon sells out again as Africa eyes historic world Major status","author":"Novus Media","date":"9 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has once again sold out all 24 000 marathon entries for 2025, marking an unprecedented third consecutive year of complete sellouts.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u2014 In a landmark moment for African running, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has officially sold out at 24,000 marathon entries for 2025, marking the third consecutive year the event has sold out.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cape-Town-Marathon-Caleb-Bjergfelt-17.09.42.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cape-Town-Marathon-Caleb-Bjergfelt-17.09.42.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cape-Town-Marathon-Caleb-Bjergfelt-17.09.42.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cape-Town-Marathon-Caleb-Bjergfelt-17.09.42.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cape-Town-Marathon-Caleb-Bjergfelt-17.09.42.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Cape-Town-Marathon-Caleb-Bjergfelt-17.09.42.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"NovaNews","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294967"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=294967"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vrystaatkroon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=294967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}