What sweet revenge! The Springbok Sevens got one back on their arch rivals New Zealand with a convincing 14-7 victory in the Las Vegas Sevens Cup quarter-final.
Having lost twice to New Zealand – in controversial circumstances – at the Wellington Sevens in late January, the Blitzbokke turned things around early on Sunday morning (South African time) to knock the Kiwis out of the Cup competition.
“Ja, it’s always great to put one over New Zealand. We lost against them in those two games in New Zealand, and it was great to beat them here in Vegas,” Blitzbokke coach Neil Powell said afterwards.
“But I think we could’ve put them away with a bit more points, if we had used our opportunities in the first half. Happy with the result, but not happy with the process, especially in the second half.”
They ran up a 14-0 lead at halftime after feasting on mistakes made by an erratic New Zealand side boasting All Black star Liam Messam, as well as sevens stalwarts Tim Mikkelson, DJ Forbes and Kurt Baker.
A comedy of errors inside the New Zealand 22 saw the ball change hands six times due to breakdown turnovers and knock-ons, with South Africa winning a penalty which saw the lightning-fast Seabelo Senatla take a quick tap and fly over the line.
Another New Zealand knock-on by Regan Ware was snapped up by the hard-working Ruhan Nel, who flipped the ball up to Senatla. The ball was recycled to captain Kyle Brown on the right, but went back into the traffic, which saw Senatla dart over again from the back of a ruck.
Disaster struck for Gordon Tietjens’ team when Baker took out Roscko Speckman after he kicked the ball ahead, and Scottish referee Mike Adamson gave Baker a yellow card, which equates to two minutes on the sidelines in sevens rugby.
But the Blitzbokke were unable to take advantage, failing to convert two excellent try-scoring opportunities before halftime.
The tension mounted for the South Africans after the break as New Zealand smothered them inside their own 22, and when Speckman was penalised for holding on, Lewis Ormond finished off to make it 14-7.
Cecil Afrika went close and Chris Dry was held up over the line, but the Blitzbokke held on for a memorable victory.
Now the South Africans will seek to avenge another previous defeat as they take on Australia – who have Quade Cooper in their ranks – in the Cup semi-finals (11.12pm Sunday night SA time), after the same team beat them at the same stage of the last tournament in Sydney in February.
“They’re a tough opponent to play against. They are very structured and will stay in their structures. And it’s tough to beat a team like that, although it will also make them predictable,” Powell said.
“They will bring something tactically to the game, and it’s an opportunity for the players to show what they are capable of in Vegas and that they are capable of playing in the Olympics in August.”
One of those players who will have a point to prove is Bryan Habana, who scored with his first touch on Saturday, but hasn’t had much opportunity as he has been used as a second-half substitute throughout the Vegas tournament.
Speedster Senatla continues to thrill as he is the leading try-scorer with a whopping nine touchdowns so far, five more than England’s Phil Burgess and Collins Injera of Kenya.
Earlier on day two, the Blitzbokke dispatched hosts USA 29-0 to secure top spot in Pool D.
Unfortunately for Kenya, they couldn’t carry the momentum of an historic first victory over New Zealand in three years in a pool game (22-0) as the east Africans went down 26-14 to the US in the Cup quarter-final.
SA v New Zealand Points-Scorers (14-7)
South Africa – Tries: Seabelo Senatla (2). Conversions: Justin Geduld (2).
New Zealand – Try: Lewis Ormond. Conversion: Kurt Baker (1).
SA v USA Points-Scorers (29-0)
South Africa – Tries: Chris Dry, Seabelo Senatla (2), Dylan Sage, Cecil Afrika. Conversions: Justin Geduld (2).
Quarter-Final Results
USA 26 Kenya 14, Fiji 43 Japan 7, South Africa 14 New Zealand 7, Australia 26 Argentina 12.
Semi-Final Line-Up (SA times)
USA v Fiji (10.50pm Sunday), South Africa v Australia (11.12pm Sunday).
* Final to be played at 1.57am (SA time) on Monday morning. Follow @IndyCapeSport on Twitter for live coverage of the Blitzboks' Las Vegas playoffs.
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