Unbeaten Blitzboks look a good bet for glory in Cape Town
Neil Powell's troops navigated their so-called pool of death with aplomb on a day of a some surprising results.
Kurt-Lee Arendse was influential. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
The Blitzboks, given their form at the moment, have a relatively clear path to the Cup semifinals of the Cape Town Sevens after they finished unbeaten in their pool on Saturday night.
Three wins from three means they’ll face Kenya in the final eight, a surprising outcome after the East Africans delivered some stellar showings to finish second in a tight pool D.
South Africa had gone into their meeting with the USA knowing they were reasonably safe given their points differential, but a win was still desirable.
They did that via a 21-15 scoreline.
It wasn’t quite a vintage performance as the Blitzboks had to play with six men for at least four minutes as the tackling of Chris Dry and Seabelo Senatla let the hosts down.
Yet South Africa’s ability to absorb pressure and make full use of their opportunities proved key.
Dylan Sage put the Blitzboks on the board with a delightful glide through a gap after his side had disrupted a set-piece.
Rosko Specman crossed the whitewash two minutes later, before influential replacement Selvyn Davids made the game safe by rounding off a sweeping second half attacking move.
The USA, formidable in the format, scored two tries in the final moments, but will rue their soft moments in the first half.
South Africa’s highlight though was a sterling comeback earlier in the day against Fiji.
Adversity is clearly something Neil Powell’s Blitzboks have taken in their stride in the early part of the new World Sevens series campaign.
They showed guts and no small amount of skill to overturn a 0-14 deficit by scoring 26 unanswered and eventually strolling to a superb 26-14 victory.
Fiji’s barnstorming approach caused the Blitzboks much discomfort in the first half.
Their directness disrupted the hosts’ carefully calibrated defensive system and even seemed to cause some panic when Seabelo Senatla was sent to the bin for killing the ball on the ground.
His absence proved costly as Jerry Tuwai and Vilimoni Botitu both galloped over the whitewash against tacklers lacking some belief.
However, the influential winger’s return close to the half-time whistle seemed to spark the Blitzboks, who gained a crucial score after Rosko Specman wiggled his way over from a tap penalty.
Kurt-Lee Arendse, who is rapidly making his mark in this weekend’s tournament, then delivered a magical linebreak that was superbly rounded off by Senatla, a moment of brilliance that cranked the South Africans into a higher gear.
Their suffocating defence in the Fijian half then saw the islanders throw a stray pass to Senatla, whose momentum saw the ball shifted to Ruhan Nel on the left.
Inspired, the Blitzboks tightened the noose with a try for Justin Geduld.
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