The Blitzboks beat Samoa 22-0 to progress to the Cup quarter-finals of the London Sevens, writes MARIETTE ADAMS.
South Africa suffered a 21-10 defeat to the Samoans in last weekend's Paris Sevens Cup quarter-finals, but there was to be no upset this time around.
The Springbok Sevens weren’t at their clinical best on attack but, as the scoreline suggests, their defence set them apart.
The game was error-strewn, with both sides making numerous handling mistakes. After toiling away at the Samoa line for an extended period, Dylan Sage cantered in and the Blitzboks led 5-0 at the break.
Samoa’s feeble tackling saw Chris Dry go over the line but his effort was disallowed for an earlier infringement. But it mattered little as Francois Hougaard continued his good form with another try and Rosco Speckman added the conversion.
Samoa started to look threatening on attack, but the Blitzboks’ dogged defence came to the fore again as they managed to keep the opposition out.
Both sides continued to make unforced errors, but two late scores by Speckman and Siviwe Soyizwapi wrapped up the win to ensure the Blitzboks came through the pool stage of the tournament unscathed.
However, South Africa's slim hopes of snatching the World Rugby Sevens Series title away from Fiji evaporated when the Pacific Islanders also qualified for the Cup quarter-finals.
London Sevens fixtures and results
Photo: Roger Sedres/Getty Images
