South Africa edge out Fiji to clinch HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series title after win in Paris

South Africa 7s 24-14 England 7s

South Africa 7s defeated their England counterparts 24-14 in the final to win the Paris Sevens and with it went on to clinch the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series title.

The win has given South Africa 22 points as they finish the season with overall points of 182 - two more than Fiji, who won four consecutive legs but end their campaign with 180 points. There was a huge gap between the top two and the third placed New Zealand, who won the Bronze medal in the Paris' leg to finish the tournament with 150 points.

South Africa finished top of Pool B with two wins from three games and defeated Spain in the quarter-final with a 15-10 margin and then followed it with a 12-24 victory over New Zealand in the semi-final to reach the final where they defeated England 14-24.

Human was again in try-scoring form in the final and was delighted to be voted Player of the Final: "It’s been a fantastic experience here in Paris. I backed myself and just enjoyed every minute on the field. We stuck to the game plan and are very happy with the win."

South Africa captain Philip Snyman added: "We wanted to go out and play some fantastic rugby and focus on what we could control. The guys played phenomenal rugby and all credit to the team. We just did the simple stuff and played with smiles on our faces today. It’s an amazing feeling representing such an amazing country and the people back home never stopped believing in us and supporting us."

Fiji had all the momentum with four consecutive wins in Vancouver, Hong Kong, Singapore and London and started the group stage well when they topped Pool A but were edged out by England 17-19 in the quarter-final. England also defeated Canada in the semi-final to lock horns with South Africa in the decider.

Argentina won the Challenge Trophy, awarded to the team finishing in ninth position, after overcoming Wales 33-26.

The focus on the sevens tournament will now shift to Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 in San Francisco that will be played between 20th and 22nd July.