Ronald Brown struck on the stroke of full-time to keep the South Africa Sevens unbeaten after their first two matches on day one of the New York SVNS.
Brown’s late try and conversion sealed a hard-fought 12-5 victory over France Sevens as the Blitzboks backed up their earlier win over New Zealand Sevens.
The match started cautiously, with both sides locked in a tense defensive battle.
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The breakthrough finally arrived just before halftime when Tristan Leyds dotted down for the Blitzboks with less than a minute remaining in the half. Leyds was unable to add the conversion, leaving South Africa 5-0 ahead.
France hit back almost immediately when Celian Pouzelgues crossed the line. His missed conversion meant the sides went into the break deadlocked at 5-5.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with both teams trading blows but struggling to find space against stubborn defence.
Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman then turned to his bench, and the fresh legs proved decisive.
Brown finally cracked the French defensive line in the dying seconds before calmly slotting the conversion to seal the victory.
South Africa will face Australia Sevens in their final pool match later on Saturday (10:58pm SA time).
Photo: David Van Der Sandt/Gallo Images
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