Quewin Nortje and Ronald Brown each scored a try as the Blitzboks opened the fourth tournament of the 2024-25 SVNS Series with a 12-10 victory against New Zealand.
South Africa’s patience on defence in the opening two minutes paid off handsomely as they managed to stave off New Zealand’s attacking advances.
And the moment they got their hands on the ball and retained possession for a sustained period, the Blitzboks drew first blood when Nortje scored in the corner after a would-be tackler tripped over his own feet to allow him free run-in to the tryline.
New Zealand would eventually score when Tone Ng Shiu, but Brown went over and Selvyn Davids converted to give the Blitzboks a 12-5 lead on the stroke of half-time.
The Blitzboks tireless workrate was on full display again in the second half when they put in another gut-busting defensive masterclass to keep New Zealand at bay. The only time the pressure took its toll was when the Kiwis launched a scathing counter attack from turnover possession, which caught the South Africans napping. But because the conversion attempt was off target, the Blitzboks stayed in front and they successfully closed out the final seconds of this feisty battle to clinch the win.
The two-point victory temporarily elevated South Africa to first place in the pool, ahead of Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.
The Blitzboks will play their second game at 03h29 on Saturday morning against Ireland before wrapping up their Pool B schedule at 21h36 on Saturday night with a showdown against Australia.
Blitzboks squad — Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser (co-captain), Ricardo Duarttee, Ronald Brown, Selvyn Davids (co-captain, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Shilton van Wyk, Quewin Nortje, Donavan Don, Sebastiaan Jobb, David Brits, Zander Reynders, Tristan Leyds.
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Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/blitzboks/brilliant-blitzboks-lock-up-new-zealand/
