Staff Reporter.
Argentina strengthened their grip on the Sevens Series by beating New Zealand in the Canada Sevens final, while the Blitzboks finished strongly to claim ninth place.
Los Pumas overwhelmed New Zealand in a 36-12 victory to win their third straight Canda Sevens crown in Vancouver on Sunday, tightening their grip on the eight-leg series with their third tournament win in a row, after claiming gold in Cape Town and Perth.
Argentina now top the overall standings with 78 points from four tournaments, 24 points clear of Ireland and Fiji, who each have 54 series points.
Earlier on Sunday, the Blitzboks, who endured a disappointing pool stage exit, beat Australia 24-7 to claim ninth place at the tournament.
Springbok Sevens captain Selvyn Davids put on a masterclass to ensure that while his team never got close to Cup action at the Vancouver Sevens, they finished the tournament on a high with a 24-7 win over Australia.
Davids was instrumental in all four Blitzbok tries as his passion and especially his defence shone through, turning over balls for the first two tries for Impi Visser and Shilton van Wyk respectively. Van Wyk’s try was a long-range effort from his own tryline that saw him draw the defence and then throw a dummy before heading to score.
David Brits added his second try in a Blitzbok jersey before halftime, and Rosko Specman scored from a Davids cross-kick early in the second half to seal the win.
The Blitzboks now head to the Los Angeles Sevens tournament, where their finish is likely to see them in a tough pool once again.