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South Africa were the class of the field in Vancouver as they defeated France 21-12 to claim their first Cup Final victory of the 2018-19 HSBC Sevens Series. France were ranked 12th entering the tournament and did incredibly well to make the final, but the defending series champions were too strong in the end.
The USA’s run of five consecutive Cup Final appearances came to an end as they were crushed by France in the Semi Final. It was clear the Eagles were out of gas after a superb come-from-behind win over England that saw them erase a 19-0 halftime deficit in the Quarter Final. They would ultimately finish 4th, losing out to Fiji in the Bronze Final.
Argentina’s day ended early after back-to-back defeats. They were blown away by the Blitzboks in the Quarter Final after a yellow card to captain Santiago Álvarez saw their opponents score 19 points in two minutes. The Pumas could only watch as Te Puoho Stephens scored in stoppage time to give New Zealand a 26-21 victory in the 5th place Semi Final.
Canada were forced to play without two of their best on Day Two as captain Nathan Hirayama and giant winger Adam Zaruba were ruled out. Connor Braid and Matt Mullins scored two each to see them past Spain in convincing fashion. Harry Jones picked up a double and set up Isaac Kaay’s game winner over Scotland in a thrilling Semi Final, but the tank ran dry as Australia dominated the Trophy Final.
Chile had nothing to show for their second day as they were scorched by the Scots in their first match and beaten handily by Spain in the 13th place Semi Final. Their Sevens Series run does not end here, however, as they will play in the Core Qualifiers at Hong Kong in one month’s time.
Though the end result was disappointing for the USA, their lead at the top of the Series table is now 7 points over New Zealand though Fiji have moved within 12. South Africa leap-frog England into 4th overall. Argentina and Canada retain their 8th and 12th spots respectively.
DAY TWO RESULTS
TROPHY QUARTER FINALS
Wales 35-0 Japan
Australia 47-7 Kenya
Scotland 25-5 Chile
Canada 33-7 Spain
CUP QUARTER FINALS
South Africa 33-12 Argentina
New Zealand 21-22 Fiji
England 19-21 USA
Samoa 12-35 France
13th PLACE SEMI FINALS
Japan 22-14 Kenya
Chile 12-28 Spain
TROPHY SEMI FINALS
Wales 22-33 Australia
Scotland 14-19 Canada
5th PLACE SEMI FINALS
Argentina 21-26 New Zealand
England 33-14 Samoa
CUP SEMI FINALS
South Africa 31-12 Fiji
USA 5-33 France
13th PLACE FINAL
Japan 10-15 Spain
TROPHY FINAL
Australia 35-21 Canada
5th PLACE FINAL
New Zealand 26-19 England
BRONZE FINAL
Fiji 24-14 USA
CUP FINAL
South Africa 21-12 France
