Mtshali puts Blitzboks into fifth straight Dubai final

The Springbok Sevens marched into their fifth consecutive Dubai Sevens final after they won a tense semifinal 14-7 against South Sea magicians Fiji on Sunday.

The Blitzboks scored first and last as their defence held firm under the most intense pressure as they stopped Fiji’s wide-ranging game with pure grit and determination.

They will face surprise finalists Argentina, who came from behind to beat New Zealand 21-19 in their semifinal.

The final will take place 5.53pm CAT, GMT+2 and is live on SuperSport.

The Blitzboks were foiled as Zane Davids charged towards the line in the opening minutes, only to lose the ball, but didn’t make a mistake with the second opportunity, with Justin Geduld, who had a magnificent game on attack and defence, scored next to the posts.

But Fiji were always dangerous and the Blitzboks smothering defence was stretched at times as they stopped the South Sea side.

Early in the second half though, Fiji found a hole and scored a try to level matters through Pilipo Bukayaro.

Finally though, as he did against New Zealand, Masande Mtshali - the SA under-20 upstart, found a way through to score what would be the winning try and send the Blitzboks into the final.