Bold headline: South Africa defend their title by powering into the SVNS semis, while drama unfolds across Cape Town as Spain miss out and Argentina and France clinch spots.
Hosts South Africa cruised into the semi-finals by sweeping three wins in Pool A, setting up a Cup showdown with France. In Pool B, Argentina and France sealed their places, leaving Spain on the wrong end of a late twist that gifted Argentina a crucial bonus point and top position in their pool. Meanwhile, New Zealand and Australia—Dubai finalists—both fell short of semis in Cape Town after a demanding, revamped SVNS format.
South Africa, the defending champions, were clinical from the outset. They overcame Fiji 24-21 in a dramatic opener when Shilton van Wyk struck with his third try after the siren, sealing a comeback victory for the Cape Town crowd. The Blitzboks then dominated New Zealand 19-14, despite two periods with a numerical disadvantage, as Ronald Brown’s try helped secure the result and Scott Gregory’s late score was merely cosmetic. Their final day performance saw them crush Great Britain 41-7, with Sonwabo Sokoyi marking his debut and Roan Frostwick scoring late to deny a second whitewash in two events.
New Zealand opened Pool B with a win of their own, as Riley Williams notched the team’s first sevens caper and Frank Vaenuku added a quick-fire double after Frostwick had briefly given Great Britain a fighting chance. Great Britain, ever-resilient, fought hard against Fiji in a spirited clash, but fell 21-17 after Rauto Vakadranu crossed late. Fiji then surged into the semi-finals with a dominant 35-5 victory over New Zealand, boosted by doubles from Viwa Naduvalo and Terio Veilawa.
In Pool B’s action, Spain’s hopes faded when Argentina and France grabbed qualification spots. Argentina’s Luciano Gonzalez and Matteo Graziano each bagged a brace as they thrashed Dubai runners-up Australia 36-0. France edged Spain 19-14 thanks to Ali Dabo’s late score, but Argentina’s fate remained in their own hands as their clash with Spain swung the pool in their favour. Eliseo Morales’ try with the clock dipping red secured Argentina’s path to the knockout stages, despite a 31-26 loss to a revitalized Spain, who saw Jeremy Trevithick cross three times. France’s Liam Delamare delivered a double in the pool’s final match as Les Bleus toppled Australia 29-10, clinching a berth in the semi-finals at Spain’s expense and avenging their Dubai semi-final defeat.
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