Blitzboks end LA Sevens campaign with horror defeat to Samoa

The Blitzboks ended their LA Sevens campaign on a low note with an embarrassing 45-5 defeat to Samoa in the 5th-place semi-final on Sunday.

The Samoans ran in seven tries against a hapless Blitzboks line-up, with Travis Ismaiel scoring South Africa's only try.

It capped a horror weekend in Los Angeles for the Springbok Sevens side. Earlier on Sunday, the Blitzboks were thumped 28-7 by Fiji in the Cup quarter-finals.

After the pool stages, the Blitzboks were somewhat lucky to sneak into the Cup quarter-finals as they won only one game against Canada (12-0). The SA men lost 10-5 to lowly Uruguay and 14-5 to Ireland.

Meanwhile, New Zealand won the LA Sevens crown with a 22-12 win over Argentina in the Cup final.

It was the All Blacks Sevens' second victory of the 2023 World Rugby Sevens Series.

Leroy Carter scored two tries as the Kiwis avenged their shock defeat to the Pumas in the final of the New Zealand Sevens last month.

The Los Angeles victory comes after New Zealand swept to the Sydney Sevens title in Australia, also in January.

Reaching new heights ??Lifting the trophy for the second time in a row, @nz_sevens you are on fire. #LA7s | #HSBC7s pic.twitter.com/aWigeictpq

New Zealand had reached Sunday's final in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson after a 24-12 quarter-final victory over Great Britain before defeating Australia 33-17 in the semi-finals.

Argentina advanced to the final after a 19-12 quarter-final win over Samoa and a 20-17 upset of Fiji in the semi-finals.

The Cup final triumph extended New Zealand's lead atop the series standings to 107 points after six events, 21 points clear of Argentina in second place. The Blitzboks are third, also on 86 points, but with a worse points differential.

NZ out in front ??Your #LA7s