The Blitzboks suffered a narrow defeat in their opening match of the London Sevens against Great Britain at Twickenham on Saturday.
Trailing 19-5 at half time, the South Africans rallied with second-half tries from Ryan Oosthuizen and Shaun Williams, but it was in vain as Team GB held on for a 19-15 win.
Femi Sofolarin opened the scoring with a long-range converted try, and Api Bavadra broke down the opposite flank for the Britons’ second five-pointer a minute later.
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The Blitzboks were shellshocked but regrouped as Ricardo Duarttee put skipper Siviwe Soyizwapi away for his 150th try in the World Sevens Series, but Sofolarin burst through to complete his brace of tries before the interval.
150th try for Soyizwapi ?#HSBC7s | #London7s pic.twitter.com/8XREX6it7i
— World Rugby 7s (@WorldRugby7s) May 20, 2023
Oosthuizen showed a clean pair of heels down the right tramlines to peg one back for SA after the break, followed by a fabulous finish from Shaun Williams, with Duarttee involved in the setup for both touchdowns.
However, it was the boot of ‘Tricky Ricky’ that proved the difference to the final score as he missed his conversions, and the Blitzboks will now refocus for a Pool A clash with the USA at 3.15pm.
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