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South Africa recovered from a disappointing loss to Kenya on day 1 to win three straight in decisive fashion on day 2 and take the title in the inaugural Cape Town leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series. A superb performance over a resilient but outclassed Argentina in the Cup final wrapped up a great day that began with dominant wins over Australia and France. The win marked the first Cup victory for the Blitzbokke since the South African leg of the tournament one year ago, played in Port Elizabeth.
Despite the loss, Argentina will be very pleased with their efforts having reached the Cup final for the first time since winning the last ever San Diego tournament in February of 2009. Narrow victories against Kenya in the semi-final and New Zealand in the quarter-final paved their way to their historic finish.
In another day filled with upsets, France led the way with a remarkable win over heavy favorites Fiji in the quarters. Kenya breezed through the USA with surprising ease on their way to a 4th place finish and their first semi-final appearance since London in May 2013.
The Eagles redeemed themselves somewhat with their third consecutive win over New Zealand in the Plate semi-final, in doing so setting a first for Americas rugby, as all three sides – Argentina, Canada, and USA – recorded wins over the men in black during the course of the weekend. USA finished the tournament in 6th place after losing to Fiji in the Plate final.
Canada took their frustrations in the Bowl quarter-final to open the day with a 55-0 pasting of Russia. Their day would end early after a come-from behind effort from England in the Bowl semi condemned them to a joint 11th place finish beside Wales.
The Series now takes a 6 week hiatus before resuming in Wellington, New Zealand, on January 30. Fiji and South Africa share the top spot on the log with 35 points each, while Argentina and the USA share 3rd and 4th spots on 29 points. Canada sits well behind in 13th spot with 8 points from the first two legs.
DAY 2 RESULTS
BOWL QF – Scotland 26-14 Samoa
BOWL QF – Wales 21-12 Zimbabwe
BOWL QF – Canada 55-0 Russia
BOWL QF – England 49-7 Portugal
CUP QF – Fiji 14-17 France
CUP QF – Australia 5-25 South Africa
CUP QF – New Zealand 19-22 Argentina
CUP QF – Kenya 26-10 USA
SHIELD SF – Samoa 33-0 Zimbabwe
SHIELD SF – Russia 38-5 Portugal
BOWL SF – Scotland 29-14 Wales
BOWL SF – Canada 14-21 England
PLATE SF – Fiji 38-19 Australia
PLATE SF – New Zealand 14-28 USA
CUP SF – France 12-21 South Africa
CUP SF – Argentina 24-22 Kenya
SHIELD FINAL – Samoa 40-5 Russia
BOWL FINAL – Scotland 19-0 England
PLATE FINAL – Fiji 29-19 USA
BRONZE FINAL – France 28-26 Kenya
CUP FINAL – South Africa 29-14 Argentina
