JC Pretorius scored a late try as the Blitzboks beat France 19-12 in the Cup semi-finals of the second Dubai Sevens tournament.

The Blitzboks’ quest to win a second Dubai title in as many weeks remains on track after advancing to the Cup final where they will face Australia.

But South Africa were made to fight for every inch in this semi-final against France, whose possession domination forced the Blitzboks to play a more defence-orientated game.

Several uncharacteristic mistakes by the Blitzboks had France scoring first when Stephen Parez finished off with a swan-dive from a move that originated deep inside their own half.

But, with his team in trouble, captain Siviwe Soyizwapi stepped up to get them back in the driving seat. He bagged two well-taken tries as South Africa took a 12-7 lead at the break.

The second half was all France. They controlled possession, forcing South Africa to make countless tackles.

And yet, despite some committed tackling from the Blitzboks, France levelled the scores.

From then on, South Africa were under pressure as France went in search of a game-winning score. But when it mattered most, it was Soyizwapi who again came to the fore with a vital turnover.

From there the Blitzboks launched an attack and, when Ronald Brown pierced the French defence, the scrambling Les Bleus were immediately penalised for a breakdown infringement.

South Africa set a lineout and went wide to JC Pretorius, who bent the line and broke a tackle before putting his head down to score the match-deciding try.