Rugby
Blitzboks off to a perfect start in Vancouver─── MORGAN PIEK 07:24 Sat, 22 Feb 2025
The Blitzboks got their Vancouver Sevens campaign off to a near-perfect start on Friday with back-to-back wins in Pool B.
In a group dubbed the "Pool of Death," it was crucial for South Africa to start strong, especially against old rivals New Zealand. The Blitzboks then went one better with a convincing victory over Ireland.
In their opening game, the Blitzboks edged past New Zealand 12-10, before running in four tries to comfortably beat Ireland.
Blitzboks edge New Zealand
The Blitzboks opened the scoring against the Kiwis when Quewin Nortjé went over for an unconverted try. New Zealand struck back two minutes later, with Tone Ng Shiu dotting down to level the game at 5-5.
On the stroke of half-time, Ronald Brown got in on the action with a try, which Selvyn Davids converted to give South Africa a 12-5 lead at the break.
The second half was a proper arm-wrestle, with the Blitzboks unable to score again. New Zealand managed to grab a second try when Andrew Knewstubb crossed the whitewash in the 13th minute. The Kiwis had a chance to force a draw, but the conversion was unsuccessful.
Scorers:
Blitzboks: Tries – Quewin Nortjé, Ronald Brown Conv. – Selvyn Davids
New Zealand: Tries –Tone Ng Shiu, Andrew Knewstubb
Selvyn Davids. Photo: X
Blitzboks score four times against Ireland
Meanwhile, the Blitzboks took a big step towards the knockout rounds with a strong win over a dangerous Ireland side in their second Pool B fixture. Selvyn Davids scored in the first minute with a try, before Siviwe Soyizwapi added a second in the fourth minute. Ronald Brown converted both to give South Africa a 14-0 lead.
Just before half-time, Josh Kenny got Ireland on the board, with Tadhg Brophy adding the conversion to narrow the gap to 14-7 at the break. Ricardo Duarttee and Sebastiaan Jobb each crossed for tries in the second half, with Duarttee and Donovan Don slotting the conversions to seal a commanding victory.
Scorers:
Blitzboks: Tries – Selvyn Davids, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Ricardo Duarttee, Sebastiaan Jobb Conv. – Ronald Brown (2), Duarttee, Donovan Don
Ireland: Try – Josh Kenny Conv. – Tadhg Brophy
In other Pool B matches on Friday:
- Australia beat Ireland 17-7.
- New Zealand beat Australia 17-7.
The Blitzboks will face Australia in their final pool game on Saturday at 21:36.
OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg
