CAPE TOWN — April 18, 2026 After a turbulent opening day at the 2026 Hong Kong Sevens, both the South African men’s and women’s teams produced vital Day Two responses to salvage their respective campaigns in the opening leg of the SVNS World Championship.
For the Blitzboks, the mandate on Saturday morning was clear: win big or risk an early exit. Following a shocking and uncharacteristic 31-12 defeat to Spain on Day One—arguably their worst performance of the season—head coach Philip Snyman’s charges were staring down the barrel.
They responded with a performance of absolute dominance, dismantling a previously unbeaten Argentina side 38-0 to secure their place in the Cup quarter-finals.
The Blitzboks looked like a completely different outfit against Los Pumas Sevens. The scoring opened with veteran Ryan Oosthuizen stealing a lineout, allowing Sebastiaan Jobb to use his raw pace to cross the whitewash in the corner. Oosthuizen quickly turned from provider to scorer, intercepting a loose pass to double the South African lead minutes later.
Argentina’s fortunes went from bad to worse when Martiniano Arrieta was shown a red card for a dangerous tip-tackle on Zane Davids. Reduced to six men, the South Americans had no answer for the Blitzboks’ clinical attack. Playmaker Selvyn Davids immediately capitalized with a solo effort, before Tristan Leyds crossed to give South Africa a commanding 26-0 halftime lead.
A scorching second-half run by Shilton van Wyk and a second try from Leyds via a chargedown sealed the 38-0 rout. The massive victory allowed the Blitzboks to finish at the top of Pool A based on a superior points difference (+24), edging out both Spain (+16) and Argentina (+7), who also finished the pool stage on six log points. South Africa now advances to a crucial quarter-final clash against Kenya.
Springbok Women’s Sevens Find Their Footing
It was a similar tale of redemption for Cecil Afrika’s Springbok Women’s Sevens squad. Returning to the elite SVNS World Championship stage, the women’s side endured a baptism of fire with two losses on Day One.
However, bolstered by the return of experienced 15s stars Zintle Mpupha and Eloise Webb, the team rallied to secure a morale-boosting 19-5 victory over Great Britain to close out their pool fixtures on Saturday.
Maria Tshiremba was the standout performer, crossing the line for a brilliant brace, while Lerato Makua added a third try to put the game out of reach. The victory ensures they carry vital momentum into their 9th-place semi-final rematch, where they will face Great Britain once again.
For More South African Sports News: Sport South Africa Home Page
