The Blitzboks came agonisingly close to securing back-to-back HSBC SVNS titles in Perth at the weekend, but had to settle for fourth place after a disappointing final day.
A dramatic extra-time try by Australia yesterday denied them a place in the showpiece final won by Argentina. A 14-7 loss to Spain in the third place play-off saw the South Africans end a campaign that had started so promisingly in the pool stages end with a whimper.
The Blitzboks had gone through the first two pool matches unbeaten, despite close calls against USA (24-19) and hosts Australia (10-7). They lost 19-17 to defending champions Argentina in their last pool game.
Coach Philip Snyman’s charges were utterly ruthless in dismantling the Fijians 19-0 in the Cup quarter-final and would have gone into yesterday’s semi-final against the hosts in upbeat mood. But it was the Aussies, buoyed by the backing of a boisterous home crowd, who would overturn the pool stage result and sneak into the final in dramatic fashion.
The teams had been evenly matched throughout, with two Selvyn Davids tries in the third and ninth minutes giving the Blitzboks a 12-7 edge going into the final three minutes of the contest. But a late and controversial try drew the Australians level, as there seemed to have been a knock-on in the build-up.
The try stood, however, and the Aussies suddenly found themselves in the position to win the match. The conversion hit the upright, and the contest went into extra time.
The Australians started the extra period the brighter of the two and were unlucky not to score from the kick-off. The warning signs were there for the Blitzboks, who conceded a number of penalties in quick succession.
But the final straw that broke South African backs was the yellow card to Ryan Oosthuizen in the 16th minute. The Blitzboks tackled valiantly but the Aussies stayed patient and Aden Ekanayake eventually broke the Blitzboks defensive line – and South African hearts – to seal the 17-12 win.
The Aussies would endure heartbreak of their own in the final, where they were mauled 41-5 by the ferocious Pumas, whio secured bac-to-back Perth titles.
Coach Snyman was rightfully disappointed with the final day’s performance from the Blitzboks.
“The performances today were a bit of a mixed bag, and we did not achieve our standards we set for ourselves,” he said yesterday.
Snyman feels that the team’s discipline was not up to scratch, and they also did not execute when the big moments demanded it.
“We conceded nine or 10 penalties against Australia and then three yellow cards against Spain,” said Snyman.
“That is not good enough and you will not be successful if that becomes a trend. We will have to work harder in those areas and is definitely something we will focus on once we get back home and start preparing for the next tournament in Vancouver.
“In some tournaments you will get a good bounce of the ball and others a bad call or two, but that was not why we did not win. We were just not clinical enough when it mattered.
“We finished strong last night (Saturday) with what was a very good performance against Fiji – probably our best of the season – but we were just not as clinical today. That is something we can work on, and we will.”
The coach was still happy about their fourth-place finish, though, as that was one of their objectives at the start of the season.
“We want to be consistent and if you finish in the top four in each tournament, it will not only show consistency but will ultimately put you in contention to be top of the log at the end of the series,” he said.
Selvyn Davids was the top points and try scorer for South Africa (30 points; six tries) while Ronald Brown (15 points) was next.