Great Britain shock Blitzboks in Bordeaux opener
· Citizen
Twelfth-ranked Great Britain shocked the Blitzboks 19-14 in their opening pool game of the final Sevens World Championship event in Bordeaux on Friday.
The result means the South African team has to work all the harder to hold onto the lead they created with a win in Hong Kong and a second-place finish in Spain, to win the Championship.
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To do so would cap a stellar season that saw them win the World Series after securing four of the six titles.
The Blitzboks needed extra time to beat Great Britain 17-12 in Spain last week. The game again went to golden point after the Blitzboks went 14-0 down early in the first half, fought back to level the scores, and then suffered after Ricardo Duarttee, who scored all their points during the game, received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle.
Great Britain then worked a two-on-one to secure the try that won them the game.
The Blitzboks next play Kenya at 8.36pm on Friday night.
Blitzboks fight back in first half
Great Britain opened with a multi-phased attack, before Marcus Kershaw managed to step two defenders and dash under the posts to score. Kaleem Barreto’s conversion made it 7-0 in the third minute.
Darcy Graham doubled the lead when he also slipped two tackles to score under the posts. Barreto’s conversion made it 14-0 after five minutes.
The Blitzboks won a penalty in their own half as the half-time whistle blew. They worked the ball wide for an attack in Great Britain’s 22 before an injury on either side stopped play.
When they resumed, the Blitzboks won repeated penalties for not releasing, which saw Barreto receive a yellow card. A South African scrum saw played on to the blindside saw Ricardo Duarttee finally dash through a gap to score. His conversion made it 14-7 to GB at the break.
Second half and golden point
The Blitzboks equalised almost immediately in the second half when Duarttee intercepted a ball well within his own half and raced most of the field to GB’s posts. His conversion levelled the scores.
Sebastiaan Jobb’s yellow card then made it six versus six with five and a half minutes to play.
Great Britain responded well with a couple of strong runs, culminating in Matt Davidson diving over for what appeared to be their third score. However, the try was disallowed for a knock-on.
The Blitzboks cleared, won a penalty on Great Britain’s 22m line. Instead of going for a penalty kick in front of the posts, they ran the ball and lost it forward.
With two minutes to go, GB won another penalty and cleared the ball. The Blitzboks won the lineout and played the ball wide for what looked like it would be a game-winning try but Graham tackled Donavan Don into touch.
The game went to extra time, or golden point, where the next score would determine the winner.
The Blitzboks defended well until Duarttee’s dangerous tackle sw him receive a yellow card. GB worked the ball out of their half and eventually worked a two-on-one for Finley Lloyd-Gilmour to score under the posts.
Scorers
Blitzboks: Tries – Ricardo Duatrtee (2). Conversions – Ricardo Duartee (2).
Great Britain: Tries – Marcus Kershaw, Darcy Graham. Conversions – Kaleem Barreto (2).