Force edge Kings as axe hovers
The Blitzboks remain firmly in control of the overall 2016-17 HSBC World Sevens Series standings after finishing as runners-up in Hong Kong on Sunday, writes Craig Ray.
Fiji captured their third consecutive Hong Kong title‚ beating the Blitzboks 22-0 in a one-sided final.
But merely reaching the final was an achievement for the youthful South African team, which went into the tournament without six regular starters.
Despite the defeat‚ by qualifying for their seventh final of the season‚ the Blitzboks earned 19 log points to move to 145 on the standings.
They started the weekend 23 points clear of England and ended it 23 points ahead of Fiji‚ who earned 22 log points for winning the final.
England lost to the US in the quarterfinals and are now 32 points off the pace.
With only three rounds of the series remaining‚ the Blitzboks are edging closer to their second overall title after winning four tournaments in 2017.
En route to the Hong Kong final, the Blitzboks topped Pool B with wins over France‚ Kenya and Canada and also saw off New Zealand 21-19 in the quarterfinal. The Blitzboks then needed an extra-time try‚ scored by Ruhan Nel‚ to overcome a spirited US 29-24 in the semifinal to make the Hong Kong final.
It was the fourth time in history that SA had made the final of the most prestigious tournament on the circuit — two had also been against Fiji and the other against New Zealand — but yet again, they could not cross the line first.
The physicality and speed of Fiji‚ the reigning series champions and current Olympic champions‚ was just too much for the Blitzboks.
SA was also punished for their numerous handling and passing errors. The Western Force edged the Kings 46-41 for their second win of the season as the two teams most likely to be cut from Super Rugby for 2018 played out a 12-try thriller here on Sunday.
Fullback Malcolm Jaer grabbed a hat-trick as the visitors gave a masterclass in counter-attacking rugby.
The Force always had the edge upfront and a penalty try as well as a late score from loose forward Ben McCalman allowed the hosts to get back in front in the final quarter.
“I’m just happy we won, I would have taken half a point given the circumstances,” said Force coach Dave Wessels.
The Force were 15-7 up at halftime, but the Kings stormed back with two tries in three minutes after the restart.
The home side got their noses back in front when their pack crushed the Kings at a 5m scrum for a penalty try and a well-executed catch-and-drive sent McCalman over to put a gloss on the score. /