The Springbok Sevens team showed grit and determination to win their fifth consecutive Dubai Sevens title as they outlasted Argentina 12-7 in an epic and tense final in the Emirate on Saturday.
Considering the season they had last year, where they faded and on a number of occasions produced sub-par performances, failing to qualify for the Olympics during the regular season and also missing out on the African qualifiers, the Blitzboks produced a performance over the two days that was reminiscent of their glory days.
Along the way they dispatched of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and every time had to fight to get out on top.
And even in the final, they produced the goods as they raced to a 12-0 lead early on but had to fight to hold off a fightback from the Pumas in the end.
With their coach Sandile Ngcobo back in Cape Town after he tore his achilles heel in a team practice, assistant Phillip Snyman stood in along with Seven High-Performance manager Marius Schoeman and produced the goods when it mattered the most.
But the victory wasn’t only a win on a familiar and friendly ground, somewhere which has become a happy hunting ground for the Blitzboks, it was also a triumph after one of the team lost a family member recently, which was felt by all the players.
GRIT AND DETERMINATION
In the game though, the Blitzboks showed the same grit and determination as they did in all their games, and banded together superbly well to stop a side that beat them three times last season and have become somewhat of a bogey team for them.
The Blitzboks powered their way over, spreading the ball wide before passing to the power of Impi Visser to open the scoring.
Selwyn Davids put a perfect pass into the hands of a flying Shilton van Wyk as he ghosted through a gap to score the second try and leave the Blitzboks 12-0 up at halftime.
Things looked a bit tense when Ryan Oosthuizen was yellow carded for a late hit, and the Blitzboks opened the door, a man down, for Argentina to score and bring themselves back into the game.
But when Oosthuizen returned they held firm, almost scoring when Rosko Specman dived in at the corner flag, losing the ball as he came down.
And thereafter, despite a strong late flurry by Argentina, they held firm to deny them at the death and get the ball out as the final hooter sounded.
The Blitzboks will now move to their home tournament in Cape Town, a tournament where they have struggled in the last few years, with the added pressure and expectation that comes with playing at home.
But if they produce the same sort of form, there will be few sides that can stop them, especially with the home crowd behind them.