Sydney Sevens: BlitzBoks, England in Final
The BlitzBoks outscored the Aussies four tries to two on their way to the win and secure a meeting with England in the Final.
England edged New Zealand 12-5 in the other Cup semifinal.
Cup semifinals:
New Zealand started like a house on fire in their semifinal against England and after some impressive play, it was Regan Ware who put the Kiwis in front with a try in the second minute.
England were not going to lie down and they soon found themselves level when Phil Burgess dummied his way past a New Zealand defender to sprint away for a try.
Sherwin Stowers had an opportunity to put the New Zealanders in front at the break, but he could not hold onto the ball after an attempted intercept.
There was a lot of physicality in the second half as both teams did want to fall behind in such a big encounter.
It was England who eventually broke the deadlock when Oliver Lindsay-Hague went over for a crucial score after a brilliant breakout from their own half.
That score would prove to be enough as England walked away with a 12-5 win.
The BlitzBoks made the perfect start in their semifinal against Australia when Albertus Smith scored a great try after a brilliant build-up from their own half.
Australia then scored a try themselves when Tim Anstee surprisingly sprinted away from the BlitzBok defence for an incredible score.
However, it was that man Seabelo Senatla who had the final say in the first half when he scored to give his team a 12-5 lead at the break.
Australia's indiscipline cost them dearly in the second half with two yellow cards and the BlitzBoks took full advantage when Chris Dry scored his team's third try.
With less than two minutes left in the game, the BlitzBoks put the game to bed when Smith scored his second try of the game.
Australia did have the final say when Simon Kennewell crossed the whitewash, but it was a dominant display by the South Africans. The BlitzBoks winning 26-12.
Results:
South Africa 26-12 Australia
England 12-5 New Zealand
Fifth-place play-off:
Argentina and Fiji produced some magical rugby during their fifth-place semifinal.
After Jasa Veremalua scored the first try, Argentina hit back with two tries of their own to go in front.
Kalione Nasoko reduced the deficit with a score. However, Argentina took an 11-point lead into the break when they scored their third try after an extended period of play.
Fiji fought back in the second half and scored four unanswered tries to seal a memorable 38-21 win.
In the other semifinal between the USA and Wales, Martin Iosefo sprinted through a gap with not a Welshman in sight to give his side the lead in the fifth minute.
Star Carlin Isles scored another converted try just before half-time to give the USA a commanding 14-point lead.
Wales were not about to give up in the second half and they fought their way back via two tries from James Botham.
However, the USA would have the final say when Isles scored his second try of the game late on for a 19-10 win
Results:
USA 19-10 Wales
Argentina 21-38 Fiji
Challenge Trophy semifinals:
Russia continued their impressive form on Day Two of the Sydney Sevens when they beat Samoa 17-12 in their Challenge Trophy semifinal.
Eduard Filatov opened the scoring before Samoa hit back with a try from Lafaele Vaa.
However, it was Russia who led at half-time after a try by German Davydov just before half-time.
Samoa regained the lead early in the second half after Samoa Toloa crossed the whitewash.
With time running out, Russia threw everything at Samoa and they were rewarded when Dmitry Sukhin scored the winning try.
France joined Russia in the Challenge Trophy Final after they beat Japan 19-12 in the other semifinal.
Japan were leading 12-0 at half-time after two tries by Katsuyuki Sakai.
However, it was all France in the second half with Jean Pascal Barraque, Julien Candelon and Jeremy Aicardi scoring tries to seal the win.
Results:
France 19-12 Japan
Russia 17-12 Samoa
Thirteenth place play-off:
Scotland made a searing start in their thirteenth place semifinal as James Fleming picked out a pass for Scott Wight who scored the opening try.
However, it was all level at half-time after Willy Ambaka dropped his shoulder and made a charge for the line to open his account on Day Two.
Kenya raced away to a 19-7 lead in the second half after tries by Nelson Oyoo and Daniel Sikuta before Scotland got a try back late in the game. Kenya won 19-14.
Canada were too strong for Papua New Guinea in the other semifinal, but they did not have it all their own way.
The Canadians raced into a 12-0 lead after two tries from Adam Zaruba. They eventually ended the first half 26 points in front after another two tries.
However, Papua New Guinea outscored the Canadians by four tries to one in the second half but ultimately went down 20-33.
Results:
Canada 33-20 Papua New Guinea
Kenya 19-14 Scotland
Source: @WorldRugby
