The Blitzboks moved to two wins from two at the HSBC World Sevens Championship in Valladolid with a 14-0 defeat of Kenya, setting up a pool decider against Australia on Saturday at 13h23.
The Shujaa, fighting for their World Series future with a top-eight finish required for permanent status next season, made life difficult throughout. Kenya's physicality was unrelenting, and the scoreline flatters the Blitzboks, who required two moments of individual brilliance to settle the contest.
Shilton van Wyk provided the first, reading a Kenyan pass in the first half to intercept and run 50 metres for the opening try. The second came after Kenya's Denis Abukuse was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on — replays indicated contact with Tristan Lleyds may have been incidental rather than intentional — leaving the Shujaa a man down. The Blitzboks took a scrum, worked it tight, and Selvyn Davids then delivered a precise kick pass for Sebastian Jobb to collect on the wing and finish in the corner.
Australia, who were prepared for the tournament by 15s coach Joe Schmidt, arrive at the pool decider in similarly strong form — beating Kenya in golden-try extra time before accounting for Great Britain 26-19. The Blitzboks also required a golden try to edge Great Britain 17-12 in their opener.
In the women's draw, the Springbok Women's Sevens have lost both pool matches, going down 26-12 to the USA after an identical opening defeat to Australia.