Australia claimed their first HSBC World Championship title with a 26-19 win over South Africa in the final in Valladolid on Sunday, with the decisive moment coming via TMO intervention in the dying seconds.
The Blitzboks appeared to have levelled matters after the final whistle when Gino Cupido crossed the line, only for the television match official to disallow the score for a forward pass in the build-up. The pass did look forward, and Australia were the superior side across the weekend — beating the Blitzboks twice in Spain — but the manner of the finish gave the final a charged ending.
The Blitzboks had started sharply, with Shilton van Wyk and Sebastian Jobb both scoring early. James Turner and Ethan McFarland replied for Australia to level at the break, before a brace from Ben Dowling and player-of-the-final Henry Hutchison put Australia in control entering the final minutes. Cupido's disallowed score at the death sealed Australia's celebrations.
Joe Schmidt had been involved in Australia's build-up preparations, and their tactical edge over South Africa was evident across both encounters in Valladolid.
Despite the defeat, the Blitzboks remain top of the overall HSBC World Championship standings on 38 points — four clear of Argentina and eight ahead of Australia — with the final tournament in France still to come.
The Springbok Women's Sevens finished ninth after defeating Brazil 19-12 in the ninth-place playoff, having beaten Argentina 19-17 on Saturday. Coach Cecil Afrika noted the improvement from their 12th-place finish in Hong Kong, where injuries had disrupted preparations, and flagged that the squad is targeting a top-eight finish heading into the France leg.