The Blitzboks booked a Cup quarter-final berth after beating Argentina 17-5 and thrashing England 38-0 to finish top of Pool A on day one of the Vancouver Sevens.
The Springbok Sevens side opened their campaign with a tough 12-0 win against Japan, and they followed it up with superb victories over Argentina and England.
South Africa’s stunning unbeaten run in the pool stage sees them set up an enticing quarter-final against the USA, who finished as runners-up in Pool D.
The match against Argentina was a grind, especially in the first half as they came from behind to take a slender 7-5 lead at the break. But a better showing in the second half ultimately saw the Blitzboks seal a comfortable 17-5 win with Muller du Plessis, Ryan Oosthuizen and captain Stedman Gans accounting for the tries.
Heading into the final round of pool matches, both South Africa and England were undefeated but the latter team pipped the Blitzboks to the top of the log thanks to a far greater points differential after big wins over Japan and Argentina.
Taking that into account and the fact that England are somewhat of a bogey team for South Africa, it sure was set to be a test of Neil Powell’s team character and mettle.
As it turned out, the Blitzboks saved their best for last. They ran in six unanswered tries to humiliate England 38-o. Du Plessis, who was influential and scored in the previous two matches, continued his time fine form by bagging a hat-trick against England. Gans, Selvyn Davids and Chris Dry were the others who went over for tries to complete South Africa’s rout of England.
Muller du Plessis made a significant contribution to the Blitzboks’ effort on Day One of @CanadaSevens scoring in all three matches. This included a hat trick in the 38-0 win over England in their last Pool A match. #Hierisspoed @CastleFreeSA @FNBSA @ASICS_ZA pic.twitter.com/H8YpN4cTdp
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) March 8, 2020
Photo: @Blitzboks/Twitter
