By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa have snapped a HSBC SVNS Series title-drought in Australia, taking out this season’s stop in Perth with a 21-19 win over Fiji at HBF Park.
These two sides have formed quite the rivalry throughout the 2025/26 SVNS Series, drawn in the same pool at every tournament so far. Fiji won a group-stage thriller between the sides 20-14 on Saturday, but the Blitzboks claimed bragging rights with victory in the big dance.
The Blitzboks struck first after capitalising on an early Fijian error. Tristan Leyds pounced on a loose ball and surged down the left before feeding Ryan Oosthuizen, who finished off the move for a converted try and a 7-0 lead.
The Blitzboks doubled their advantage moments later, again punishing Fiji for a turnover. Sebastiaan Jobb showed his pace to race away and score under the posts, pushing the lead out to 14-0.
Fiji responded through Viwa Naduvalo after a sustained spell of possession, before Jeremaia Matana crossed after the half-time hooter, with Terio Veilawa adding the conversion to cut South Africa’s lead to 14-12.
Oosthuizen then produced a moment of individual brilliance, beating four defenders to score and level matters at 19-19. Dewald Human kept his composure to slot a difficult conversion, handing the Blitzboks a 21-19 lead with four minutes remaining.
From there, South Africa’s defence stood firm. Relentless pressure and disciplined tackling shut the door on Fiji’s final advances, sealing the Blitzboks’ first tournament win on Australian soil since 2017.