Springbok Sevens win World Championships in LA
LOS ANGELES - South Africa's men and New Zealand's women captured the Rugby Sevens World Championship 2025 titles on Sunday in Los Angeles.
The Springbok Sevens defeated Spain 19-5 in the men's final.
Selvyn Davids scored a try in the fifth minute and Ronald Brown converted to lift South Africa ahead 7-0 at half-time.
Spain's Pol Pla answered with a try in the 10th minute but Juan Ramos missed the conversion kick to keep the Springboks ahead.
Mfundo Ndhlovu answered with a try for South Africa and Tristan Leyds converted for a 14-5 lead.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
4 hours ago
- The South African
Springboks: Major injury worry emerges
The Springboks will soon get their season under way with a 'warm-up' fixture of sorts against the Barbarians on 28 June, followed by the July Tests against Italy and Georgia. With Elrigh Louw injured and Jasper Wiese having missed much of the domestic season due to injury, there was already some debate over the depth and options at No 8. Young Bulls star Cameron Hanekom has been in top form, and it was thought that he could be a strong contender for more international game-time this season, but there were very worrying signs that he might have picked up a serious injury in the URC semi-final against the Sharks. The 21-year-old will definitely miss the URC final, and there are concerns that he could be set for an extended period on the sidelines after leaving the field with what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury on Saturday. 'He's being given a scan. Obviously, he's very upset which is natural,' Bulls coach Jake White commented after the game. 'I told his parents earlier in the changeroom they must remember he is 21 [years old]. People forget when I started coaching 21-year-old forwards weren't invited to Bulls training. 'If they were it was generally for the old men to bash them on a Monday night [at training]. 'He has obviously jumped the line because he is so talented and he feels a bit down now, but we must not forget that he's just 21 years old. 'There's still a lot of rugby that he's going to be involved in over the next couple of years.' If Hanekom is now ruled out for the Springboks, Wiese will have a big job to do at No 8, while the door could also open for Juarno Augustus. Forwards: Cameron Hanekom, Wilco Louw, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese (all Bulls), Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Ox Nche, Vincent Tshituka (Sharks), Neethling Fouche, Salmaan Moerat (Stormers), Renzo du Plessis, Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks). Backs: Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker, Makazole Mapimpi, Grant Williams (Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie (Bulls), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Manie Libbok, Damian Willemse (Stormers), Quan Horn, Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe (Lions), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk, Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Ntokozo Makhaza (UCT). SPRINGBOKS' FIXTURES 28 June: vs Barbarians, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:05. 5 July: vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. Kick off: 17:10. 12 July: vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha. Kick off: 17:10. 19 July: vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. Kick off: 17:10. 16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Kick off: 17:10. 23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:10. 6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland. Kick off: 09:05. 13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington. Kick off: 09:05. 27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban. Kick off: 17:10. 4 October: vs Argentina, London. Kick off: 15:00. 8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: TBD. 15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: TBD. 22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40. 29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. Meanwhile, here is an important reminder on ticket sales for the Springbok men's game against Argentina in the Rugby Championship at Twickenham in October. Ticket sales Tickets are on sale via and England Rugby, starting from just £55* for adults and £28* for Under-16s. (*booking fees apply)
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Rugby World Cup 1995: How Os Du Randt went from unknown to cornerstone of the Springboks' triumph
A year out from the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Os du Randt was a 21-year-old diesel mechanic. He did not have the faintest clue that months later he would be wearing a World Cup-winners medal. How did he go from rugby unknown to anchor of the Springboks' World Cup-winning scrum? Let's look at the making of a Bok legend. Pieter du Randt was a farm boy from remote Elliot in the Eastern Cape, the same rural town that produced Mark Andrews, Du Randt's tight-five teammate in the '95 team. Natural strength ran in the Du Randt family. It was developed by tough, physical labour on the land the family has farmed for generations. Handling livestock and hauling bags of mealies around was part of a day's work. That was the young Os' 'gym' workout. He has said that his family didn't have a television until he was 13 and PlayStation-type games were banned by parents who preferred a more old-fashioned way of life. Instead, Os amused himself outdoors with his brothers— fishing, hunting, and climbing trees was their life. In his autobiography Os, he tells of taking apart electrical appliances to see what they looked like inside and trying to successfully put them together again. He once created his own motorbike from the scraps of broken ones. The steering didn't work too well and he sometimes crashed into the ditches of farm roads. The absence of a TV in his younger days meant he didn't get to watch much sport and while he enjoyed rugby at school, he didn't have a burning passion to become a rugby star. He says he had no sporting heroes. Os recalls that rugby grew on him as he continued to grow into, well, an ox. He hadn't been overly big at primary school, but at high school, he had a growth spurt that earned him his nickname. The story goes that a bunch of senior bullies tried to initiate him and that would include pinning him down and shaving his nether regions. They discovered that it was easier said than done because Du Randt did an impersonation of Bruce Banner and transformed into The Hulk. 'They could not pin me down,' Du Randt smiled. 'They called me an 'Os' and that has been my name ever since.' Os was at school at Adelaide Gimnasium and in 1990 played SA Schools but, curiously, fell off the rugby radar when he was called up for army national service in Bloemfontein. Du Randt's love of things mechanical was fostered at the School of Armour and after national service, he remained in Bloem and worked as an apprentice at Barlows Caterpillar, a company specialising in earth-moving equipment. It was when he was playing for the Free State under-20s that his career suddenly took off like a runaway train. He was called up to the senior Free State side when Ollie le Roux was picked for the Boks in June 1994. Os had played just nine Currie Cup games before he himself was picked for the Boks later that year when Argentina toured. He then also played on the Boks' end-of-year tour to the UK. In the space of a season, he went from the Free State Under-20s to the Cheetahs and the Boks, leapfrogging Le Roux in the latter two teams. Almost overnight, Os became a fixture in the Bok front row under Kitch Christie, who had taken over as coach in 1994 from Ian McIntosh. Kitch had listened wisely when the influential Transvaal and Bok hooker Uli Schmidt told him that he had played against this kid called Os and wanted him alongside him in the Bok front row. Schmidt didn't make it to the '95 World Cup but he was right about Os. He was just 22 when he came of age in the semi-final against France when the front row of Os, Chris Rossouw and Balie Swart held out against the fearsome French during a frantic finale of set scrums. The Bok front row did not budge, the French were kept at bay, and passage to the final against New Zealand was secured. Likewise, in the final, the unsung heroes against the All Blacks were the front row, who denied the Kiwis the solid platform that would have given the likes of Jonah Lomu dangerous front-foot ball. It is apt that Andrews, the lock who pushed behind Os in so many scrums, best sums up one of the greats of the game: 'The fact that he is larger than most other props is not the extraordinary thing about Os. At six foot three and 128kgs he was able to tackle like Henry Honiball on steroids and run and pass like a loose forward. That gave him an almost unfair advantage over his opponents. 'What makes any Test player special is his ability to do what his position requires of him, yet is consistently able to do what is not expected of him with the same ease. For me, that sums up Os.' Mike Greenaway is the author of best-selling books The Fireside Springbok and Bok to Bok.
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Jake White: Players must put Bok selection out of their minds in semi-final
Ten Bulls players will compete in the URC semi-final after just being selected for the Springboks. Willie le Roux and Canan Moodie will line up agaisnt Lukhanyo Am in their URC semi-final. All three have been selected in the latest Bok squad. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images Bulls boss Jake White has urged his players to put their Springbok selection out of their minds when they play in their United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final against the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (kick-off 6.15pm). A total 54 players were named in Rassie Erasmus' first Bok squad of the season which kicks off on 28 June against the Barbarians, followed by the Castle Lager Incoming Series. It's an unchanged group from the year's second alignment camp in Cape Town. Included are 10 Bulls players, all named in the squad to play in the URC semi-final. Only the Sharks have more players in the squad (11). White warns against 'trials' mentality 'It's like trials tomorrow,' White said. 'One of the messages I've given the players: 'I please don't want you to play like it's trials. I want you to play like it's a team.' 'Because often what happens in these situations is whenever you announce a team before a big game… There's 54 guys, they all want to be Springboks. They all want to be in the first round. 'They know they will compete against the guys they are playing against tomorrow. It doesn't matter what I say, they know this is an opportunity in front of selectors – in front of the public – for them to stake a claim.' Still, the coach said his job was to make his charges understand the play-off fixture was not about individuals. 'I said to them in the changeroom today, they've been picked on what they did the last 18 weeks. It's got nothing to do with how they have to do tomorrow. 'They are not going to do anything tomorrow that is going to make them put their hand up. They've put their hand up to be picked in the 54-man squad by what they've done for the last couple of months. I just want them to continue doing that.' Bulls out for third time lucky, Sharks want to stake claim The Sharks reach the semi-final stages of the URC for the first time, while this is the third time for the Bulls. The Pretoria outfit have never won the trophy and will have the mentality of righting wrongs of the past, while the Sharks intend to stake their claim. The Sharks have beaten the Bulls twice in the URC this season (20–17 in Durban in December and 29–19 at Loftus in February). That means two of the Bulls' four defeats in the campaign came against the Sharks, who also won the SA shield for the first time. It's been a breakout season for the Sharks but White and his charges will want to become the second SA team to win the URC after the Stormers.
