South Africa entered the competition aiming to win a third consecutive title after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games bronze medallists were victorious in both Las Vegas and Sydney.

The two teams met on day one in the pool stages, finishing level at 12-12, but it was the Blitzboks who started strongest in the final at the BC Place Stadium as Siviwe Soyizwapi scored his fourth try of the weekend with less than a minute on the clock.

Richard de Carpentier brought England back into the match though.

With South Africa exposed on the edge, the big forward took on the lighter Rosko Specman and he managed to get over the line to make things level at half-time at 7-7.

England playmaker Dan Bibby, who had been in sublime form all weekend, finished a great individual chip and chase to put England ahead, with the conversion making it 14-7.

Dan Norton then secured the win as he finished in the left corner to make it 19-7, taking his individual tally in Vancouver to seven tries.

Simon Amor's side beat the Blitzboks for the second time in six tournaments.

Norton was one of the stand-out players of the event, winning the Player of the Tournament and Player of the Final awards.

He also went level with Collins Injera of Kenya for all-time tries on the World Series, having now scored 244 in total during his career.

"We fought hard over the week and it wasn't the prettiest at times but we knew if we scrapped for everything over the two days we could be in with a chance," Norton said.

"Sevens can be unforgiving.

"We've played well at times this season and haven't come away with wins so it's nice to get reward for our efforts.

"We've still got a way to go on the series so we will cherish this moment but know we have to keep pushing for Hong Kong."

Rio 2016 Olympic Games champions Fiji collected the bronze medal after they secured a 28-24 win over the United States.

Fiji were beaten 40-7 by England in the semi-finals while South Africa defeated the US 14-10 to reach the final.

Wales took victory in the Challenge Trophy final, edging Samoa 19-12.

England's victory puts them into second overall in the series table on 103 points, 23 behind South Africa who remain top with four tournament wins out of six.

Back-to-back series champions Fiji drop to third in the standings on 100 points after their bronze medal.

The series now moves to Hong Kong where action will take place between April 7 and 9.