In the semi-finals, the Blitzboks narrowly edged Fiji 12-10, thanks to a last-minute converted try by Donovan Don. It was a tough encounter for South Africa, as Sebastiaan Jobb was shown a red card, forcing them to play with six men for 10 minutes.

Argentina, meanwhile, had to dig deep in their 7-0 victory over Spain in the other semi-final.

The final saw Argentina defeat the Blitzboks 19-12, with Luciano Gonzalez scoring a brace of tries. Quewin Nortje and Siviwe Soyizwapi crossed the whitewash for the men in green and gold.

Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman admitted that Argentina deserved the title in Canada.

“Make no mistake, it’s never nice to lose in a final. You put in all the hard work to get yourself into a position to win the tournament, and then falling short is not part of the plan,” said Snyman.

“But credit to Argentina – they were the better team on the day. They were more clinical than us, especially in that first half, and took their chances when it mattered. We fought back well but couldn’t get the win.”

Despite falling at the final hurdle, Snyman said the team had achieved some of their objectives and would take plenty of positives from their campaign in the Great White North.

Santiago Mare. Photo: X

“Our goal is to reach at least the semi-finals of every tournament, and we’ve now done that in three out of four events. On top of that, Sebastiaan Jobb and Zander Reynders got valuable game time, which is great,” added the former Cheetahs winger.

“From that perspective, I’m really pleased. The mistakes we made can be fixed, and with a few tweaks here and there, we’re in a good place moving forward.”

Next up on the Sevens World Series is the iconic Hong Kong Sevens, which takes place from 28 to 30 March.

Scorers:

Blitzboks: Tries - Quewin Nortje, Siviwe Soyizwapi Conv. - Selvyn Davids

Argentina: Tries - Luciano Gonzalez (2), Tobias Wade Conv. - Joaquin Pellandini (2)

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg