Get Newsletter

Las Vegas 7s: Blitzboks meet Aussies in quarters

South Africa are joined by Canada to progress from Pool A after they beat France 31-0 in the penultimate match of the round.

ADVERTISEMENT

Canada will face Fiji in their quarterfinal while England take on New Zealand and Argentina are up against tournament hosts The United States.

England came from 5-17 behind against the USA to claim a 24-17 victory and remain unbeaten in Pool B. Samoa were made to work hard by Chile in their 17-12 victory to secure third place in the pool.

Argentina got the better of New Zealand to top Pool C, while Kenya managed to sneak past Russia to claim third place in the pool.

Fiji remained unbeaten in Pool D as they secured top spot with a victory over second-placed Australia, while Scotland managed to get the better of Japan to record their first win of the tournament.

Round One wrap

Round Two wrap

All Round Three's action!

ADVERTISEMENT

Japan 7-33 Scotland

It was one-way traffic in the opening half as the Japanese side played into a stiff breeze. Scotland took full advantage of having the wind at their backs as they ran in three tries – two converted – to take a 19-0 lead at the break.

Japan managed to grab their only try of the game in the second half but Scotland replied with two of their own to claim their first win of the leg.

Australia 17-24 Fiji

ADVERTISEMENT

Fiji struck first with a converted try in the opening two minutes before doubling their lead two minutes later. Australia hit back with two tries of their own, one converted, to narrow the gap to 12-14 at the half-time break.

Fiji extended their lead to 19-12 soon after restart but Australia were not going away and hit back with a five-pointer to trail 17-19 with three minutes remaining. But Fiji showed why they are one of the best as they remained composed to seal victory with another five-pointer.

Russia 10-12 Kenya

Russia came out firing and took a 5-0 lead early in the encounter but a yellow card saw their lead vanish as Kenya dotted down in the final minute of the half to level matters at 5-5 at the break.

Kenya was the first to score in the second half to take a 12-5 lead but Russia hit back with a five pointer to trail 10-12 with two minutes to go. Kenya managed to hold onto their slim lead in the final minute to edge the match.

New Zealand 10-12 Argentina

The South Americans took the game to New Zealand and took and early 7-0 lead before extending their lead to 12-0 inside the final minute to take a handy lead into the break.

New Zealand were struggling to come to terms with Argentina's massive defence, until they eventually managed to breach them with 90 seconds remaining to trail 5-12. There was late drama as New Zealand bagged their second try after the hooter had sounded, but the conversion was missed and Argentina took the win.

Samoa 17-12 Chile

Samoa got the ball rolling with an early five-pointer before closing the half with their second try of the match to hold a 10-0 lead at the break.

Chile came out firing and grabbed a converted try in the early stages of the second half but Samoa hit back with one of their own to secure a 17-7 lead. Chile finished the match on a high note as they scored their second try of the match.

England 24-17 United States

The United States used the wind at their backs perfectly and got off to a fast start by grabbing the opening try of the match before extending their lead to 12-0 midway through the half. However, England closed the half with a try of their own to trail 5-12 at half-time.

The tournament hosts were all over England at the start of the second half and got their reward midway through as they crossed for their third try, extending their lead to 17-5. England hit back with two minutes remaining in the match and narrowed the deficit to 10-17 before bagging a seven-pointer to level matters at 17-17.

England then stole the victory with the final play of the game when they bagged a further seven points.

France 0-21 Canada

Canada had the wind at their back in the opening half and spent majority of the time inside France's 22. All the pressure paid off in the final minute of the half when they opened the scoring with a converted try to take a 7-0 lead into the half-time interval.

It was France's turn to have the wind at their backs but they failed to use it and Canada took full advantage to grab two converted tries in the final minute of the match to qualify for the Cup quarterfinals.

South Africa 21-7 Wales

After a shaky start, Chris Dry grabbed the opening try in the second minute when he received a perfect offload to dot down under the posts. Justin Geduld added the extras to take a 7-0 lead.

It got worse for Wales a few seconds later as they were reduced to six men after a yellow card.

The Blitzboks failed to make the most of the extra man but maintained that lead at the half-time break.

A number of changes were made during the break and it paid off as the Blitzboks bagged two further tries, by Cecil Afrika and Siviwe Soyizwapi in the space of two minutes to take a commanding 21-0 lead – both tries converted by Branco du Preez.

Wales got themselves on the board in the 12th minute when Luke Morgan caught the Blitzboks sleeping and dotted down under the posts. The successful conversion saw Wales trailing 7-21 in the closing stages.

Wales looked to grab a consolation try in the final play but excellent work at the breakdown by Zain Davids saw the South Africans awarded a penalty, which they popped into touch to grab the win.

Playoff fixtures:

(Kick-off is local – GMT minus eight hours)

Challenge Trophy

France v Japan – 18.48

Kenya v Chile – 19.10

Scotland v Wales – 19.32

Samoa v Russia – 19.54

Cup

South Africa v Australia – 20.16

Argentina v USA – 20.38

Fiji v Canada – 21.00

England v New Zealand – 21.22

Join free

Boks Office | Episode 9 | Six Nations Round 4 Review

Beyond 80 | Episode 4

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Who can truly be called the best rugby side in the world

Justin Marshall | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Sevens Challenger Montevideo - Day 3

Japan Rugby League One | Wildknights v Bravelupus | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 8 | Six Nations Round 4 Preview

Los Angeles HSBC SVNS - Day 3 - Full Replay

Write A Comment