The Blitzboks will face Argentina in the Cup quarter-finals of the Sydney Sevens after beating Kenya 26-19 on Saturday. CRAIG LEWIS reports.
Earlier in the day, the Blitzboks comfortably beat both Scotland and Russia, and they should head confidently into the second day of action in Sydney despite the fact they were far from their best against Kenya.
The Blitzboks were shocked by Kenya in the Cape Town Sevens last December when they suffered a surprise defeat, but they never really looked in danger of suffering a similar fate.
Most concerning is that the Blitzboks’ injury woes have continued unabated, with Philip Snyman and Kwagga Smith both ruled out of action, leaving South Africa with just 10 available players heading into the clash against Kenya.
The Blitzboks' African neighbours made a strong start to the match when Collins Injera scored after just a minute of play, but the Springbok Sevens hit straight back as Seabelo Senatla broke away to score and extend his tally as the series’ leading try-scorer.
Cheslin Kolbe and Rosko Specman then scored a couple of quick-fire tries, but Willy Ambaka dotted down for Kenya just before the break to help reduce the deficit to seven points.
Juan de Jongh scored straight after the restart, and although Oscar Ayodi kept Kenya in the clash, the Blitzboks closed out the match from there.
Sunday's Cup quarter-final lineup:
New Zealand vs United States (02:30)
Fiji vs Kenya (02:57)
England vs Australia (03:19)
South Africa vs Argentina (03:41)
Photo: Renee McKay/Getty Images
