The Springbok Sevens face two must-win games at the Hong Kong Sevens on Saturday, and they got off to a great start by dispatching Russia 50-0 in their first match.
The Blitzbokke looked much sharper against the Russians than in their highly disappointing 21-14 defeat to England on Friday, which was effectively the Pool B decider for the top position in the group.
But the South Africans put that error-strewn display behind them in a convincing performance against the listless Russians, who didn’t offer much of a challenge.
Their handling and option-taking were much more decisive compared to the hesitant outing against England as they were too quick and strong for the Russians.
Ruhan Nel opened the scoring, and Branco du Preez showed good skill to twist and turn past two tacklers to dot down.
The highlight of the game was arguably Siviwe “Shakes” Soyizwapi’s first touch on his Blitzbok debut as the former Southern Kings utility back scored in the left-hand corner.
Former Springbok No 8 Ryan Kankowski also made an appearance in the second half in his first game back in sevens since 2006.
Blitzbokke coach Neil Powell will be happy that his team ran in eight tries, but will know that more important tests lay ahead. They have to beat Scotland later on Saturday morning (11.54am kickoff) in their final Pool B game to go through to Sunday’s Cup quarter-finals, which is crucial as they are second on the World Sevens Series log on 105 points, just one behind Fiji and one ahead of New Zealand.
Points Scorers
South Africa – Tries: Ruhan Nel, Branco du Preez, Seabelo Senatla, Kwagga Smith, Cecil Afrika, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Justin Geduld, Stephan Dippenaar. Conversions: Branco du Preez (5).
@IndyCapeSport - Independent Media