Blitzboks call the shots

● The Blitzboks showed their intent on the opening day of the World Sevens Series tournament in Hamilton yesterday.

They put down a marker, not just by scoring the most points on the day (102), but also the way in which they dismantled fellow title contenders England to secure top spot in their pool.

As much as it was a day in which the collective collaborated marvellously, the performance of Werner Kok stood out. The easily recognisable forward delivered a stellar performance which helped rank him second on the tournament’s official performance tracker on the opening day.

The Blitzboks got their campaign off to a flying start downing Papua New Guinea 36-5, before going on to thumping Russia 38-0.

It was, however, their final pool match against England that signalled the team’s intent. They got the job done with an impressive 28-7 win.

The win was significant in that it set up a quarterfinal clash with Scotland while condemning England to a showdown with New Zealand.

Dylan Sage got SA’s day off to a good start when he dotted down early against PNG. He was quickly followed by Rosko Specman after an immaculate turnover by Kok.

The Islanders hit back with a try straight from the kick-off and when Tim Agaba was shown a yellow, PNG had hope of staging a comeback from 19-6 down just before the break. However the Blitzboks showed great resolve and a try-saving tackle by Kok helped maintain the 12-point advantage going into the second half. — Sports Reporter