SINGAPORE – The Springbok Sevens team crashed out of the Singapore Sevens Cup on Sunday, with a late try by Australia condemning the Blitzboks to a 19-17 quarter-final defeat.
It was Lachie Anderson who went over in the last minute for the Aussies to pull off a huge upset at the National Stadium.
South Africa started well, with tries by Siviwe Soyizwapi and Cecil Afrika pushing the team into a 10-0 lead.
The young Australian team came back well, scoring a try before the end of the first half to reduce the Blitzboks’ advantage to three points at 10-7.
A try by captain Philip Snyman early on in the second half extended the lead to 17-7, but the Aussies fought back well in the final minutes.
They scored two tries, through Tom Lucas and then Anderson in the final act of play with Dylan Sage sin-binned for a deliberate knock-down, which proved to be the clincher.
It was Cup quarter-final round of upsets, with USA producing a shock 24-19 victory over Olympic champions Fiji 24-19, Canada overcame New Zealand 26-14 and England needed a drop goal after the final hooter to beat Kenya 13-12.
This is the first time that the Blitzboks exit at the quarter-final stage of the World Rugby Sevens Series since May last year, when they lost to Samoa at the Paris Sevens.
The South Africans have not only reached every Cup playoff this season, but also contested all seven finals so far, including last weekend in Hong Kong, where they lost to Fiji.
They’ve won four titles as well.
South Africa now play Fiji in the semi-final of the Trophy at 10.26am SA time, with important log points at stake.
The Blitzboks had a 23-point lead at the start of the Singapore Sevens, and can now aim for as much as 13 more on Sunday if they end fifth, with two more tournaments to go in Paris and London.