[imagesource: David Rogers / Getty Images]

A Commonwealth Games gold medal might not be as coveted as an Olympic gold medal, but last night’s win for the Blitzboks over Fiji is well worth a closer look.

We didn’t just beat the Pacific Islanders, either – Neil Powell’s men hammered Fiji 31-7 in the Commonwealth Games final at Coventry Stadium.

If you headed to bed after watching England’s Lionesses beating Germany in the Euro 22 final, you missed some high-class seven’s rugby en route to our second Commonwealth Games gold medal.

SA Rugby Mag reports:

The Blitzboks, current World Rugby Sevens Series leaders, outscored the Fijians five-tries-to-one in a 31-7 victory to finish the tournament unbeaten and repeat the gold medal-winning feat of Team SA in Glasgow in 2014.

A clever kick by Selvyn Davids put Muller du Plessis over in the corner for a converted try in the fourth minute, before JC Pretorius and Shaun Williams dotted down for a 17-0 lead at half time.

That cheeky bit of skill from Davids kicks off this highlights package.

The defensive effort from the Blitzboks must also be applauded in limiting the Fijians to a single try.

Remarkably, and perhaps in keeping with the recent struggles of their 15-man outfit, this is just the second time that the All Blacks have failed to win Commonwealth Games gold in the men’s competition since the code was first introduced in 1998.

The countdown to this weekend’s epic clash between the Boks and the All Blacks starts now.

[source:sarugbymag]