Ricardo Duarttee’s try capped off a hard fought opening victory for the Blitzboks over Canada in slippery conditions on day one of the LA Sevens on Saturday.
Playing in wet weather conditions that made holding onto the ball a difficult task, the Springbok Sevens scored a try in each half to claim a 12-0 win in their opening fixture.
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Towards the end of the first half when Canada dominated possession and territory, Duarttee created the decisive linebreak from his own 22 which ended up with Ronald Brown putting Christie Grobbelaar over for the first score of the match.
The Blitzboks had better control of the second half and Duarttee went from creator to scorer as he broke from a five-metre scrum and dived over the tryline to ensure South Africa would come away with a win.
The Springbok Sevens play Uruguay, beaten 7-0 by Ireland in the other Pool B match, at 01.02am on Sunday, before Ireland await in what could be a decisive final pool fixture at 05.03am.
Photo: Twitter: @Blitzboks