The Blitzboks claimed a second HSBC Canada Sevens tournament win in Vancouver in three years when they outplayed Kenya 38-5 in the final at BC Place Stadium on Sunday.
South Africa were up 24-0 at the break and continued their dominance in the second half.
With this win the South Africans also took the lead in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and will be firm favourites to bag the next tournament, to be played in Edmonton next weekend.
The final proved to be a thrilling affair, with Kenya keen on running the ball at the South Africans, only to be knocked back in the tackle time and again. That defensive pressure soon resulted in a try for Angelo Davids, and he added another after intercepting a Kenyan pass. That pushed his try tally to 10 for the tournament, a new record in Vancouver.
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So this is how it happened - Sunday recap ⤵️https://t.co/wbG8z94PLg@WorldRugby7s @ASICS_ZA @FNBSA pic.twitter.com/5ZZM5CvIWW
The lead was soon extended when Sako Makata rounded off a lovely move before Christie Grobbelaar raced away for his first try in a final. The halftime lead of 24-0 was good value for the Blitzboks dominance.
The second half saw no drop in standards from the SA side, as they kept up the pressure on Kenya. Ronald Brown, who was named Player of the Final, scored a delightful try after a delayed pass from Dewald Human, who was soon after sin binned. Kenya did manage to get one try back via Daniel Taabu, but a late Darren Adonis try - also a first for the centre, sealed the dominant win by the Blitzboks.
Coach Neil Powell said: “It was amazing just to be out there playing again especially in front of a great crowd. It was great to have two African teams in the final and it’s always a fierce encounter with Kenya. “I’m really proud of the boys, there’s a lot of youngsters who are the next generation of Springboks sevens and they’ve done really well."
Ronald Brown was named Player of the Final.
Scoring summary:
South Africa 38 (24), Kenya 5 (0)
South Africa - Tries: Angelo Davids (2), Sakoyisa Makata, Christie Grobbelaar, Ronald Brown, Darren Adonis. Conversions: Dewald Human (2), Brown, Adonis.
Kenya - Try: Daniel Taabu