The U17 Sevens team made a perfect start in Dakar, beating Senegal, Canada and Germany to set up a last-four clash with Argentina.
Dakar, Senegal (02 November 2026) – South Africa’s U17 Sevens team have made a flying start at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, winning all three of their pool matches to book a place in Monday’s semi-finals.
The young South Africans showed plenty of attacking flair throughout the opening day, crossing the tryline regularly as they made their intentions clear.
They kicked off their campaign with a convincing 43-5 victory over hosts Senegal, scoring seven tries through different players in an impressive team performance.
Their second outing proved a much tougher challenge, but the youngsters showed plenty of character to overcome Canada 24-17. Darnell du Toit and Dandre Brink both scored two tries, while Dave Jake added two conversions.
The South Africans finished their pool campaign in style, beating Germany 34-7. Jake was among the standout performers with 14 points from two tries and two conversions, while Brink continued his impressive form with another brace.
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Attention now turns to the semi-finals, where South Africa will take on Argentina at 15:42 (SA time) on Monday.
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There is also a chance for the young South Africans to make amends for their previous Youth Olympic Games campaign in 2018, when they narrowly missed out on a medal after losing the bronze medal match to Japan.
With three wins already under their belts, the SA youngsters will be hoping to keep the momentum going and take another step towards a place on the podium.
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