A Phil Burgess try in sudden-death extra time gave England the upset victory over the USA in a pulsating Quarter Final to end the men’s action on Day Two of the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco. Two tries from Dan Norton had put England in the lead but Perry Baker tied the game up with just a minute on the clock to force the extra period. England captain Tom Mitchell found Burgess open on the left flank with an inch-perfect cross kick to seal a famous victory.
Argentina had no luck against Fiji, with a Franco Sábato try all they could muster against the tournament favorites. The Fijians were in scintillating form, running in seven tries to blow the Pumas away by 43-7. Amenoni Nasilasila had two with the scores coming in almost automatically every couple minutes.
The other two Quarter Finals saw New Zealand survive a major scare against France including three first-half yellow cars to come away with a 12-7 win. South Africa turned heads once again as they crushed Scotland by 36-5, with two tries each going to Werner Kok and Justin Geduld.
A 5th-place finish is the best possible result for the Americas now, with the Eagles set to face Scotland and Argentina opposite France. The Championship Semi Finals will see four heavyweights in action. South Africa will play England first with a mouth-watering clash between Fiji and New Zealand up second.
DAY TWO RESULTS
CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER FINALS
Scotland 5 – 36 South Africa
Argentina 7 – 43 Fiji
France 7 – 12 New Zealand
USA 19 – 24 England
DAY THREE FIXTURES
July 22 – 11:56 PT, 14:56 ET – 5th PLACE SEMI FINAL – Scotland vs USA
July 22 – 12:18 PT, 15:18 ET – 5th PLACE SEMI FINAL – Argentina vs France
July 22 – 12:40 PT, 15:40 ET – CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI FINAL – South Africa vs England
July 22 – 13:02 PT, 16:02 ET – CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI FINAL – Fiji vs New Zealand