The Blitzboks finished top of Pool B on day one of the Wellington Sevens after defeating Fiji 31-12 in their final game on Saturday. CRAIG LEWIS reports.

In front of an extremely disappointing crowd in Wellington, the Springbok Sevens reaffirmed their status as this season's frontrunners as they produced a classy all-round performance to comfortably overcome the reigning series champs.

The Blitzboks started with real intent against Fiji, and burst into a 12-0 lead after just three minutes of play, with Werner Kok and then Seabelo Senatla going over to score early on as Fiji were punished for their ill-discipline.

Before the break, another beautiful South African movement enabled Justin Geduld to go over unopposed, but that five-pointer was cancelled out when Fiji’s Jerry Tuwai dotted down with effectively the final play of the half.

South Africa would have happily accepted a 17-7 lead at the break, but that advantage was reduced to just five points when Joeli Lutumailagi finished off a well-worked try for Fiji soon after the restart.

However, at just the right time, the Blitzboks' magic man, Senatla, popped up to pounce on a loose pass and dart over to score under the posts, while the result was sealed when Siviwe Soyizwapi finished off one final try before full-time.

Earlier in the day, the Blitzboks recorded emphatic wins over Japan and Australia to start their weekend on a positive note, but it was their result against chief rivals Fiji that would have most pleased coach Neil Powell. 

South Africa will now face France in the Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, with kick off at 02:42 (SA time).

Quarter-final lineup:

England vs Scotland
New Zealand vs Fiji
Canada vs Argentina
South Africa vs France (02:42)

Photo: Getty Images