By Lucky Vince Pienaar
The moment Dylan Sage flung himself over the tryline to score a 100 metre team try, that was the moment the Blitzboks showed that they are willing to fight for victory.
Neither France nor South Africa had to win their pool match in the HSBC Singapore tournament. Both teams, win or lose, had already qualified for finals, but there was more than just qualification at stake.
The Blitzboks had scored three tries in the first half, leading the match by 15-0 when the teams changed sides, but then they seemed to fall asleep.
Were we about to see that terrible slump that the Blitzboks have shown South Africa in many tournaments?
France scored three tries, the third in the final minute to give France the lead at 19-15 and the match, except for one final kick-off, was all but over.
And that’s when coach Philip Snyman’s Blitzboks showed that they were up for the fight.
The Blitzboks get a penalty close to their own tryline. Tristan Leyds takes it quickly, passes to Rosko Specman and the try is on. The man they call Specmagic goes through a gap and runs 60 metres before he gets stopped. Two passes later the ball is in the hands of Dylan Sage who does a showboating dive over the line, giving South Africa a one point victory.
The Blitzboks celebrate as if they had won a final, and why not?
The willingness to get into the battle that coach Philip Snyman has worked on so hard, was on display. 100%. Is this a new dawn for the Blitzboks? We hope so.
Blitzboks 20-19 France
Tries Blitzboks: Quewin Nortje, Tristan Leyds, Selvyn Davids, Dylan Sage
Tries: France: Aaron Grandidier (2), Jean Pascal Barraque
Pictured above: Blitzboks
Image source: @blitzboks
