Blitzboks lose Bordeaux Sevens semi-final to hosts France
· Citizen
A lacklustre Blitzboks performance saw the South African Sevens team lose their Bordeaux Sevens semi-final 21-12 against France on Sunday.
The Blitzboks looked good for periods, and would have been hopeful being 7-7 at half-time. But while France lifted their performance in the second half, the Blitzboks appeared to lose motivation.
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They squandered their chances, and poor handling opened up opportunities for the hosts.
The match only mattered in terms of the Blitzboks chasing the final World Championship event trophy, having already won the overall Championship.
South Africa will play for a third/fourth place finish at 4.32pm, against either New Zealand or Spain.
The Blitzboks’ campaign in Bordeaux included a 19-14 loss to Great Britain, a 26-5 victory over Kenya, and a 15-12 loss to Fiji in the pool stage. They qualified for the quarter-final on permutations, and there they got revenge against Fiji by beating them 14-12.
Blitzboks falter in France
During the semi-final, Enahemo Artaud opened the scoring for the hosts after he pounced on a loose ball dropped by Sebastiaan Jobb in a tackle, and dashed under the posts. Rayan Rebbadj’s conversion made it 7-0 after three minutes.
Tristan Leyds outpaced the French defenders on the sideline to race through for a Blitzboks score a minute later. Ricardo Duarttee slotted the difficult conversion to even the scores.
South Africa almost scored before half-time, but Jobb was tackled into touch 5m from the French try line.
Rebbadj retook the lead for France after an errant pass by the Blitzboks saw the French create their own opportunity and, following a penalty at the breakdown, score an overlap try. They extended their lead when Antoine Zeghdar found a gap to run through untouched.
Paulin Riva’s conversion made it 21-7 after 11 minutes.
South Africa responded when Donavan Don found a gap and ran half the length of the field to score. Duarttee’s missed conversion meant the Blitzboks trailed nine points in the last minute.
Their attack petered out and France kicked the ball out after the hooter.
Scorers
Blitzboks: Tries – Tristan Leyds, Donavan Don. Conversions – Ricardo Duarttee 1/2.
France: Tries – Enahemo Artaud, Rayan Rebbadj, Antoine Zeghdar. Conversions – Rebbadj 1/1, Artaud 1/1, Paulin Riva 1/1.