The Blitzboks claimed a convincing 26-10 win against Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens on Saturday. MARIETTE ADAMS reports.
The South Africans backed up their victory against Japan on day one with a clinical performance that saw them outscore Scotland four tries to two.
The match between the Blitzboks and Samoa at 9:22am (SA time) will now determine who tops Pool A.
There was a real battle in the opening six minutes of the game, with neither side able to score.
But the Blitzboks landed a double blow just before the break and again early in the second half to open up a commanding 26-point lead.
Selvyn Davids went over for the first try of the game in the seventh minute, stepping off his left foot to evade a Scottish defender. He added the conversion.
Scotland kept the ball alive well into stoppage time and were made to rue the decision. They broke down the side and made a dash for the line, but they spilt it and South Africa countered through Davids. Two passes later, Stedman Gans cantered away to extend the Blitzboks’ advantage.
South Africa were fastest out of the blocks in the second half, when a kick into space bounced perfectly for Ryan Oosthuizen. He was caught on the line, but showed great upper-body strength to turn the ball over in the tackle and slam it down for a try.
The next score was more of a team effort, when a quick transfer of the ball through the hands led to a simple run-in for Branco du Preez in the left-hand corner.
Trailing 26-0 with two minutes remaining, Scotland’s challenge was over. But they were desperate to get off the mark, and were rewarded with two late tries from Jamie Farndale and Tom Brown that added some respectability to the score.
Photo: @Blitzboks/Twitter
