The Blitzboks’ love affair with the Emirates Dubai 7s appears on the rocks after the 11-time champions crashed out of playoffs for a second consecutive year. Pool A defeats to Fiji and Argentina ended their opener dreams on Saturday.
The Blitzboks will face Spain for fifth place at 15:00 on Sunday after their disappointing campaign. They started promisingly by defeating France 15-12 in their opener, but successive defeats to Fiji 28-10 and Argentina 19-14 reduced them to also-rans.
Pool A proved extremely tight, with France, South Africa, Fiji and Argentina each securing wins in their three matches. However, no team understood the requirements better than South Africa, who knew they needed to beat Argentina by 35 points to reach the semi-finals.
Trailing 12-0 at half-time against the Pumas was not the ideal start, as they allowed their opponents to outplay them completely. The Blitzboks scored two tries in the second half to grab the lead, but their average defence faltered again late in the match.
Conceding nine tries in three matches whilst scoring seven and converting only two will never secure playoff qualification. The statistics highlight their fundamental problems throughout the tournament weekend.
Also read: Clinical Blitzboks win season opener in Dubai
Against Fiji, the Blitzboks started well when Ronald Brown spotted a gap to make it 5-0. However, the wheels came off immediately and never returned to their previous efficiency levels.
Fiji scored from the restart after Don missed a crucial tackle, taking a 7-5 lead. Davids suffered a concentration lapse in defence, allowing Fiji to extend their advantage to 14-5 at half-time.
The second half continued similarly as Fiji dominated the breakdown completely. Their physical approach bordered on illegal territory, but referee George Selwood deemed their tactics acceptable throughout the encounter.
Brown, Shilton van Wyk and Grobbelaar all suffered questionable tackles that could easily have been penalised. Fiji’s attack proved as brutal as their defence, with delightful footwork setting up their third try.
At 28-5, only one winner seemed possible, though Tristan Leyds scored a consolation try in the final minute.
Check all the results here: https://www.svns.com/en/fixtures-and-results/dubai/matches
