The Blitzboks were dumped out of the running for the gold medal of the Olympic Games Sevens tournament by hosts France, after a disappointing 19-5 defeat in their semifinal at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday afternoon.
The game was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests, with the Blitzboks putting in a superb shift during the first half and first three minutes of the second, before they fell apart at the death to hand the French a famous win.
The Blitzboks still have a chance to walk away with a medal, but they will have to beat either Australia or Fiji in the Bronze medal match on Saturday night.
In the match it was a cagey affair in the first half with the Blitzboks and France both making mistakes, while it was the defences which came out on top.
France dominated territory and possession during the first five minutes, but were kept out by the monster Blitzboks defence, before the hosts were forced to defend their own line towards the end of the first half, which they managed to do as they went in all square without scoring.
