The Blitzboks were pushed all the way before edging Great Britain in extra time on day one of the Sevens World Championship in Valladolid, Spain.
South Africa had to dig deep in the sweltering Spanish heat to beat a spirited Great Britain side 17-12 in a tense, physical contest.
It was an arm-wrestle from the outset as both teams looked to establish early dominance.
The Blitzboks had the first real opportunity to strike, but lost control of the ball at the breakdown just metres from the Great Britain tryline.
Great Britain capitalised in the fifth minute when captain Charlton Kerr powered over for the opening try. The conversion was unsuccessful as the Europeans took a 5-0 lead.
But the Blitzboks responded on the stroke of half time with a superb counter-attacking score from deep inside their own 22.
Tristan Leyds floated a beautiful pass wide to Shilton van Wyk, who sliced through a gap before sprinting away to level matters.
Leyds was unable to add the conversion, leaving the sides locked at 5-5 at the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with both teams trading heavy blows but struggling to create clear-cut chances.
South Africa eventually broke the deadlock in the fifth minute of the half when Sebastian Jobb gathered a pinpoint grubber from Dewald Human to score. Human added the conversion to hand the Blitzboks a 12-5 advantage.
But Great Britain refused to fold.
With less than a minute remaining, Tom Salmon outpaced Ricardo Duarttee to score under the posts before Tom Burton slotted the conversion to force the match into extra time.
The Blitzboks, however, kept their composure when the pressure mattered most.
Leyds ultimately proved the difference, crossing in extra time to seal a hard-fought victory for South Africa.
Photo: David Van Der Sandt/Gallo Images
