The World Series Sevens visited Vancouver over the weekend where there were thrills, spills and plenty of surprises.
South Africa, though, failed to defend their title and the defending series champions, Fiji, blew more cold than hot in what has been a frustratingly inconsistent season.
South Africa had to settle for a bronze medal match (which they lost to Canada) after losing 15-27 to series leaders New Zealand in their semi-final clash. The Blitzboks struggled to keep possession and was undone by a slick All Blacks side who is looking like real title contenders.
South Africa had beaten Japan, Argentina and England during the pool stages.
Defending champions Fiji also had a disappointing weekend, most notably losing 40-14 against the United States in the fifth place semi-final.
But the team of the weekend award surely goes to Canada. The homeside thrilled the crowd throughout. On day one, they ran in 14 tries in three games to reach their first Series quarter-final since London in 2019.
They crushed surprised package Spain in that match before falling agonisingly short against Australia, a mere millimetre from the whitewash that would have levelled the scores with a kick to come.
For a recap of the weekend’s action, catch up with your live blogs.
Canda Sevens 2020: Results
World Series Sevens Standings 2020
The standings will adjust automatically.
