The Blitzboks qualified for their fifth consecutive semi-final of the 2016/17 HSBC World Sevens Series season after narrowly beating Australia 17-14 in the Las Vegas leg quarterfinal on Sunday.
The series-leading South Africa will now face hosts USA in the last four on Sunday night while old rivals Fiji and New Zealand will contest the other semi-final.
The Blitzboks‚ who have won three of the four legs in Dubai‚ Wellington and Sydney so far and were runners-up in Cape Town‚ will have to be at their best to topple the USA in front of a passionate home crowd.
But even if they fail to reach the final‚ at worst they would only lose a tiny amount of ground at the top of the standings after nearest rivals England lost to New Zealand in the quarterfinals.
At a minimum SA will take home 15 log points if they finish fourth‚ which would take them to 100 points on the standings.
If Fiji wins the Las Vegas title they would move to 88 log points‚ leaving SA with a healthy 12-point cushion at the top.
Of course‚ the Blitzboks could extend their current lead to 28 points if they win the title and Fiji come fourth.
“This will be a massive match for us as the USA will be pumped by the big crowd and their desire to win their first home tournament‚” coach Neil Powell said about the showdown that kicks off at 23h44 (SA time) tonight.
“The USA team is packed with game breakers and with the support from the locals will be a tough opponent. We did not come here to lose though‚ so we will have to be at our best for that one if we want to play in the final later.”
The Blitzboks qualified for the semis after topping Pool A and then coming through a hard-fought win over Australia in the Cup quarterfinals. Powell praised his team’s composure in the final minutes.
“It was a nervous last couple of minutes‚ but I am very proud of the way the guys responded when under severe pressure‚” the coach said.
“The Aussies were very determined and motivated to get the result and for us to defend our line and the result in those last minutes made me a happy coach.”
A late try by Rosko Specman‚ his fourth in the tournament‚ edged his team into the lead and determined defense by the Blitzboks in the final minutes of the match secured the win.
Blitzboks captain‚ Philip Snyman‚ acknowledged the effort from their opponents.
“We knew this was going to be a hard one‚ Australia are a class team and they gave it their all‚” said Snyman‚ who has made 15 tackles‚ the most for his team so far.
“We gave away a lot of penalties and that kept them in the game‚ but we got our composure back when it mattered and our defence kept them out when they needed the winning score.
“When you give away so many penalties‚ you lose control of the game‚ so that is something we need to address before we face the USA in the semifinals. Our discipline will have to be much better‚ come that match.” — TMG Digital
Blitzboks to face hosts USA in the Las Vegas sevens semi-final
The Blitzboks qualified for their fifth consecutive semi-final of the 2016/17 HSBC World Sevens Series season after narrowly beating Australia 17-14 in the Las Vegas leg quarterfinal on Sunday.
The series-leading South Africa will now face hosts USA in the last four on Sunday night while old rivals Fiji and New Zealand will contest the other semi-final.
The Blitzboks‚ who have won three of the four legs in Dubai‚ Wellington and Sydney so far and were runners-up in Cape Town‚ will have to be at their best to topple the USA in front of a passionate home crowd.
But even if they fail to reach the final‚ at worst they would only lose a tiny amount of ground at the top of the standings after nearest rivals England lost to New Zealand in the quarterfinals.
At a minimum SA will take home 15 log points if they finish fourth‚ which would take them to 100 points on the standings.
If Fiji wins the Las Vegas title they would move to 88 log points‚ leaving SA with a healthy 12-point cushion at the top.
Of course‚ the Blitzboks could extend their current lead to 28 points if they win the title and Fiji come fourth.
“This will be a massive match for us as the USA will be pumped by the big crowd and their desire to win their first home tournament‚” coach Neil Powell said about the showdown that kicks off at 23h44 (SA time) tonight.
“The USA team is packed with game breakers and with the support from the locals will be a tough opponent. We did not come here to lose though‚ so we will have to be at our best for that one if we want to play in the final later.”
The Blitzboks qualified for the semis after topping Pool A and then coming through a hard-fought win over Australia in the Cup quarterfinals. Powell praised his team’s composure in the final minutes.
“It was a nervous last couple of minutes‚ but I am very proud of the way the guys responded when under severe pressure‚” the coach said.
“The Aussies were very determined and motivated to get the result and for us to defend our line and the result in those last minutes made me a happy coach.”
A late try by Rosko Specman‚ his fourth in the tournament‚ edged his team into the lead and determined defense by the Blitzboks in the final minutes of the match secured the win.
Blitzboks captain‚ Philip Snyman‚ acknowledged the effort from their opponents.
“We knew this was going to be a hard one‚ Australia are a class team and they gave it their all‚” said Snyman‚ who has made 15 tackles‚ the most for his team so far.
“We gave away a lot of penalties and that kept them in the game‚ but we got our composure back when it mattered and our defence kept them out when they needed the winning score.
“When you give away so many penalties‚ you lose control of the game‚ so that is something we need to address before we face the USA in the semifinals. Our discipline will have to be much better‚ come that match.” — TMG Digital
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