There’s always a story, something significant, about any clash between New Zealand and South Africa on the rugby field. In the latest meeting between the proud rugby nations, the Blitzboks knocked the All Blacks Sevens out for HSBC SVNS Series glory, who lost 31-5.
New Zealand were instead left to scrap it out with League Winners Argentina, who had fallen to Spain 29-5 at Los Angeles’s Dignity Health Sports Park. The All Blacks Sevens brought their season to a close with an incredible upset, beating Los Pumas Sevens 38-17 to finish third.
The All Blacks Sevens had shown signs of promise during the pool phase at the winner-takes-all event, which determines the overall SVNS Series champions. New Zealand beat Fiji and Australia to secure their spot in the final four.
It’s been a rollercoaster season for the All Blacks Sevens, which included a ninth-place finish at SVNS Perth in January, but now they had a chance to challenge for the top prize. Traditional foe the Blitzboks stood in their way, having gone unbeaten in pool play themselves.
South Africa’s 29-21 win over Argentina on the opening day was especially significant, and it set the stage for an enthralling meeting between two rivalling sides. With a spot in the World Championship Final up for grabs, the Blitzboks never looked in trouble.
Shilton Van Wyk scored the first points of the semi-final in just the first minute, with the Blitzbok kicking the ball ahead ‘soccer’ style before regathering. Van Wyk crossed for another in the seventh minute, while youngster Quewin Nortje stole the show with a hat-trick.
Frank Vaenuku hit back in the 11th minute as the New Zealanders avoided a shutout loss, but it was too late to mount a comeback. South Africa’s comprehensive 26-point triumph saw them book a spot in the big dance, while New Zealand’s SVNS dream was over.
With Argentina losing to Spain in a shock semi-final upset, that set up an intriguing bronze final, with the League Winners taking on New Zealand in a fight to become the overall third-place team on the SVNS Series in 2024/25.
Marcos Moneta came close to scoring the opener before Tobias Wade crossed in the very next phase, about one minute into the third-place playoff. But that wasn’t a sign of things to come, with the All Blacks Sevens taking over before the half-time break.
Ngarohi McGarvery-Black, Sofai Maka, Akuila Rokolisoa and McGarvey-Black (again) made their mark on the scoreboard as the New Zealanders ran away to a shock 24-5 half-time lead.
The match took a twist early in the second half when Rob Rush was shown a yellow card, seeing the All Blacks Sevens got down to six men for two minutes. Argentina made the most of it with Moneta running in a much-needed try with just over five minutes left to play.
Things went from bad to worse for the New Zealanders, with Maka also sent to sit down for two minutes because of a late hit in the lead-up to Moneta’s try. Los Pumas Sevens reduced the deficit again through Lautaro Bazan Velez, who ran in untouched under the posts.
It was suddenly a seven-point game with just under four minutes left.
The match’s momentum had been with Los Pumas Sevens, but once the All Blacks Sevens welcomed back their full contingent, the New Zealanders regained control. Brady Rush danced through the defensive line to score a crucial score with less than two to play.
McGarvey-Black, who had been arguably New Zealand’s best throughout the entire 2024/25 campaign, had the last laugh with a final try in the dying stages. The playmaker threw a massive dummy and reaped the rewards.
For the first time this season, the All Blacks Sevens secured a podium finish.
“Yeah definitely, really satisfying, especially against a quality team like the Argie boys. They’ve been the best for the last couple of years to be honest, they’re the most consistent throughout,” New Zealand captain Dylan Collier said post-game.
“It was good to finish that way. The way the Series is set-up, it always comes down to this last tournament where you can win it.
“We put ourselves in with a chance last night and we just didn’t turn up this morning but it was good to finish the way we did.”
