01 November 2026
The South African U17 Sevens team won their three pool games on the opening day of the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, and will face Argentina in the semi-finals on Monday.
They started the day with a 43-5 victory over the host nation, scoring seven tries by different players in the process.
The South Africans had to work much harder in their second game against Canada, but managed a 24-17 victory, with Darnell du Toit and Dandre Brink scoring two tries apiece, while Dave Jake landed two conversions.
The last game, against Germany, ended in a 34-7 victory for the SA U17S. Jake scored 14 points with two tries and two conversions, while Brink again contributed a brace of tries.
Monday's semi-final against the South Americans kicks off at 15h42 (SA time). The other semi-final is between Canada and France, who topped their pool.
The bronze medal match is scheduled for 18h38, followed by the gold medal match at 19h05. The last time the Youth Olympics were held, in 2018, Argentina won the gold medal, France took silver, and Japan beat South Africa in the bronze match.