South Africa downed France 21-12 to set up a showdown with Argentina in the Cup final of the Cape Town Sevens, reports JON CARDINELLI.

The Blitzboks have improved as the tournament has progressed. Their aggression in the tackle and their composure without the ball has made all the difference on day two.

They were dealt an early blow in the semi-final when the dangerous Virimi Vakatawa crossed for a try and France took a 7-0 lead. But, as was the case with the quarter-final contest against Australia, they managed to hit back right away and then take control of the game.

Juan de Jongh's try in the fourth minute gave the Blitzboks plenty of momentum. From there, the hosts looked to play the game deep in opposition territory.

Rosko Specman featured prominently in the Blitzboks' next two tries. Specman scored one and made another when he chipped over the France defence. The latter effort caught the defenders off guard. Phillip Snyman picked up the loose ball and completed South Africa's third try. Justin Geduld kicked his third successful conversion, a score that turned out to be important.

France never gave up, and Pierre-Gilles Lakafia succeeded in breaking a tackle attempt by Snyman and running all of 40m to score. The missed conversion, however, left France with too much to do in the dying minutes.

Argentina claimed a narrow 24-22 win against Kenya in the second Cup semi-final to book their place in the decider.

CUP FINAL
19:30: South Africa vs Argentina

Cape Town Sevens fixtures and results

Photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images