The Springbok Sevens team dropped two close results at the HSBC New Zealand Sevens on Sunday and finished a disappointing seventh at FMG Stadium in Hamilton, sliding to fourth on the overall standings for the 2023 season.

Argentina won the title by beating New Zealand 14-12 in the final, with the hosts moving to the top of the World Rugby Sevens Series standings. The top four teams qualify automatically for the 2024 Olympic Games.

After their clean sweep in the pool on Saturday, which included a win over Argentina, the two defeats on Sunday — 22-17 to France and 21-14 to Ireland — came as a disappointment to Springbok Sevens coach Sandile Ngcobo, who said his side's execution, or lack thereof, was the main culprit.

“We have a team motto and culture and one of those are at least 80% tackle completion, something we did not do today,” Ngcobo said.

“I think we were grabbing arms and not trying to get our shoulders on bodies, which resulted in some missed tackles and we paid the price. We were not quite there today.

“When we lost the battle on the floor and contested poorly at the kickoffs, we placed ourselves under a lot of pressure. Those two areas are crucial in sevens and we did not do well in those two areas today.”

Possession was another aspect that hampered their progress but Ngcobo was more concerned about not using the ball when opportunities were created.

 “We are a fast team and when we play against teams who are physically bigger than us, it is crucial that we use that advantage,” he said.

“There is a plan for every opponent but for that to work one needs to execute when you have the opportunity. That did not happen today.”

Ngcobo said they will regroup and be ready to go compete for the title at the Sydney Sevens next weekend.

“It is going to be a short turnaround — we are playing on Friday already, so we will have three days to analyse and adjust where needed and then hit Sydney with a fresh effort.

 “I saw enough positives here over the weekend to travel to Australia with confidence and I thought Jaiden Baron did well on debut. So though we are disappointed about the effort on Sunday, there is much anticipation to go again next weekend.”

The team lost Selvyn Davids to a groin strain and he did not play on Sunday. He will be medically assessed and replaced if needed, the coach said

Scorers

Springbok Sevens 12 (7) — Tries: Christie Grobbelaar, Dalvon Blood, Shaun Williams. Conversion: Williams.

France 22 (12) — Tries: Jonathan Laugel (2), Nelson Epee, Varian Pasquet. Conversion: Paulin Riva.

Springbok Sevens 14 (7) — Tries: Shaun Williams, Jaiden Baron. Conversions: Williams, Ricardo Duarttee.

Ireland 21 (14) — Tries: Liam McNamara, Billy Dardis, Jordon Conroy. Conversions: Dardis (3).

World Series standings:

1 New Zealand — 63 points

2 USA — 61

3 Argentina — 59

4 South Africa — 57

5 Samoa — 55

6 France — 53

7 Australia — 52

8 Fiji — 50

9 Ireland — 46