Cape Town - The Blitzbokke finally broke their drought in New Zealand, winning the Wellington
Sevens event for the first time in 15 years on Sunday.
Coach Neil Powell, who won the tournament as a player in 2002, is over the moon after his log leaders twice beat Fiji - in the round-robin phase and again 26-5 in the final.
“That [the 2002 win] was my first win as a Blitzbok and this is my first here as a coach, so it is pleasing, especially as we came so close last year," Powell said.
“I will remember the win, but also because of the tremendous character showed by the team. The guys were tested out there.
“We have set a standard for ourselves now and if we want to make the top four in every tournament, we will need to be consistent in all our phases of play.
“The guys are trusting the system and the system is looking after them and as long as that happens, we should do well.”
Captain Philip Snyman added: “We worked really hard after Christmas, and we played some great rugby this
weekend. We are happy to get a first win since 2002 and it’s extra sweet after last year’s defeat in the final.”
The Sevens series moves on to Sydney, Australia, next weekend.