The first Cup final meeting between the two nations since South Africa triumphed 24-12 in the desert back in 2017, looked to be heading for a scoreless first half after Chris Dry knocked on in the act of scoring and then Zain Davids was held up over the line.
However, from the resulting scrum, and with only two seconds showing on the clock, South Africa swung the ball quickly left to create just enough space for captain Siviwe Soyizwapi to go over in the corner to earn some reward for the long spells they had spent in the All Blacks Sevens 22.
South Africa's kick-off at the start of the second half was booted back with interest by Tim Mikkelson – playing in his 41st Cup final on the series – but Rosko Specman kicked and chased, forcing Kurt Baker to take the ball back over his line. From the resulting scrum, the Blitzboks kept possession and eventually worked Dry over on the left for a 10-0 lead.
The score remained that way until the final minute when Seabeloa Senatla scooped up the ball and sprinted away to wrap up a first victory over the All Blacks Sevens for almost a year.
The Dubai Sevens tournament was the first of 10 tournaments on the World Rugby Sevens Series for 2019/20. The action now moves onto Cape Town next weekend for the second leg of the series.
In the women’s tournament, the Black Ferns Sevens created history by going back-to-back in Dubai with victory over Canada in the final.