Blitzboks turn up the heat against Australia to book Perth final spot against Fiji
PERTH SVNS
Springbok Sevens playmaker Tristan Leyds had his hand in a couple of tries on Sunday when the Blitzboks triumphed over Australia in the semi-finals of the Perth SVNS tournament in Australia. South Africa will face Fiji in the final.
Image: Zach Franzen | World Rugby
In temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius, the Blitzboks proved too strong for hosts Australia to clinch a spot in the final of the Perth SVNS tournament on Sunday.
Four converted tries, built on excellent team play and flashes of individual brilliance, secured a 28-12 victory over the hosts.
Now a revenge match against Fiji awaits on Sunday (11.04am kick-off), and the Springbok Sevens will have to improve on their semi-final performance — especially in tackling and discipline — if they want to lift the title. They lost to the Fijians in a tight pool-stage encounter on Saturday.
Some sparkling tries by Shilton van Wyk, Sebastiaan Jobb and Ricardo Duarttee paved the way for South Africa’s runaway victory over the Aussies. A yellow card that reduced the hosts to six players at one stage also proved costly, and the Blitzboks were simply too clinical.
After some patient defence in the opening stages, Van Wyk scored the first try after a good turnover. He stepped between two defenders, caught a soft shoulder and sliced through for a try under the sticks.
The Australians fought back, though, and gave Van Wyk a dose of his own attacking medicine when they sliced through his tackle to score their opening try. The Blitzboks’ first-time tackling wasn’t up to scratch, although they scrambled fairly well on defence.
Australia’s two tries — one in each half — both came from slipped tackles. But that was all they could muster on attack.
Jobb’s first score, on the halftime buzzer, came after good defence turned over possession. Playmaker Tristan Leyds switched the point of attack with a long pass to find the speedster in space. Jobb wormed his way through a couple of defenders and sprinted over 60 metres to extend his team’s lead. His second came when the Aussies were reduced to six players following a kick-off error.
Duarttee sealed the deal after combining well with Leyds down the touchline before diving over for the fourth try.
The attacking intent looks promising ahead of the final. However, Fiji was devastating against the All Blacks Sevens, and it will take a massive defensive effort to seal the Perth title.