The Blitzboks will meet Fiji in the Cape Town Sevens quarter-finals after winning all three of their pool matches on Saturday. JON CARDINELLI reports.
South Africa should feel pleased with their results on day one of the tournament. After beginning their Cape Town Sevens campaign with a 40-5 win over Russia, they went on to claim a 31-5 victory against France and then a 26-7 win over Kenya.
That said, they should know that there is room for improvement. The Blitzboks dominated their opponents at the collisions across the three matches. There were several instances in which passes didn’t go to hand and defenders slipped off tackles, though.
Conditions at the Cape Town Stadium were challenging. A gale-force wind swept across the ground for much of the day, and all of the teams were forced to adapt.
Seabelo Senatla’s finishing was a highlight. The winger scored a hat-trick against Russia, and a further try against France. The latter score marked Senatla’s 200th try for South Africa.
Ruhan Nel was another standout performer for the hosts on day one. Indeed, it was Nel who breached the Kenya defence in the final pool fixture to put his team in charge.
Kyle Brown scored right before the break to help South Africa to a 14-7 lead. South Africa finished off Kenya thereafter, with Philip Snyman and Senatla crossing the line.
CUP QUARTER-FINALS (DAY 2)
12:04: SA vs Fiji
12:26: England vs New Zealand
12:48: Canada vs France
13:10: USA vs Argentina
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
