The Blitzboks suffered an early setback when they lost 19-12 to Scotland in their first pool match at the Paris Sevens on Saturday.

Following this shock defeat, the Blitzboks will be under pressure to bounce back in their remaining pool matches against Japan and Canada. They will certainly need to lift their efforts on defence and at the breakdown.

The Blitzboks used their aggressive defence to force a turnover and create a scoring opportunity in the very first minute of the fixture. Chris Dry made the hit deep in Scotland territory, and the loose ball was scooped up by an alert Dylan Sage. Skipper Philip Snyman then accepted the final pass to register his side's first points in the Paris tournament.

The rest of the first stanza belonged to Scotland, though. They lifted their effort at the gainline, scored two tries, and took a 12-5 lead into half-time.

South Africa suffered a further setback when Cecil Afrika was yellow-carded for dangerous play immediately after the break. They were fortunate not to concede more points during the period of sanction.

Scotland maintained the pressure on the Blitzboks, and eventually crossed the line. A late try and conversion by South Africa only served to reduce the margin of defeat to seven points.

REMAINING FIXTURES (DAY 1)
vs Japan (14:54)
vs Canada (18:42)

All the Paris Sevens fixtures and results

Photo: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images