SA rugby
The Springbok Sevens won their sixth consecutive HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series tournament - their 34th successive match and fourth title in the 2022 season - when they beat Australia by 33-7 in the final of the Seville tournament on Sunday evening.
The South Africans continued their winning streak that started in Vancouver and Edmonton in the 2021 season and their 34 match wins in a row is now their best run ever in the World Series.
The victory in Seville did not come easy as the Blitzboks were pushed in pool play, where they had to come from behind against Spain and the USA, and in the knock-out stages, where they were trailing Scotland, before hitting their straps in the Cup semi-final against Ireland and a hard-fought win over Australia in the final.
"It is pretty emotional for us, we had to dig deep," Impi Visser, who led the Blitzboks in Seville, said afterwards.
"They are a tough team to play against, credit to them. I think our boys just grafted a bit more and in the end, we wanted it a bit more."
Visser took over the captaincy from Siviwe Soyizwapi, who was injured in Malaga last week, while the team also lost Branco du Preez against Scotland due to injury and had to watch Justin Geduld being stretchered off in the final against Australia.
"This was a win that tested our character and resilience, and it is a feeling of relief and pride to know that we stood firm against some very good teams out there," added Visser.
The Blitzboks moved 18 points clear on the overall log with the win. They now lead the World Series on 88 points, with Argentina (70), Australia (66) and USA (55) running out of time to catch the South Africans in the remaining tournaments in Singapore, Vancouver, Toulouse, London and Los Angeles.
