New Zealand defeated the Springbok Sevens 21-14 in the Plate Final of the Adelaide Sevens on Sunday while Samoa claimed the Cup final after defeating the USA 38-10.
The BlitzBokke held their Kiwi opponents to a 14-14 half time score after New Zealand’s Save Tokula scored the opening try of the game which was converted by Kurt Baker in the first minute of play.
The Boks hit back hit two minutes later when Sampie Mastriet scored his ninth try of the tournament and South Africa’s first try of the final. Mastriet’s try was converted by Cecil Afrika.
Top scorer in Adelaide Sampie Mastriet (Pic: IRB)
New Zealand then took the lead after captain DJ Forbes scored their second try of the game which was again converted by Baker. But the Boks leveled the score minutes before the half time hooter when Chris Dry crossed the try line. His try was converted by Afrika.
After the break a Tim Mikkelson try ensured that New Zealand regained their lead over the South Africans and after Baker kicked his third conversion of the afternoon, the Kiwis boasted a seven point lead.
The Boks had chances to level the game in the final stages of the match when their opponents were reduced to six after Leka Tupuola was yellow carded for a professional foul. However handling errors by the defending Cup champions kept them from stringing many phases together against a Kiwi defensive effort that never allowed the Boks much forward momentum.
The South Africans booked their place in the Plate final after comprehensively defeating Wales 29-0 in their semifinal match played at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
The Boks held the Welsh scoreless and ran in five tries of their own which were scored by captain Kyle Brown, Mastriet, Ryno Benjamin, Afrika and Branco du Preez.
Knocked out of Cup Competition
Earlier on Sunday, the Boks were knocked out of the Cup quarterfinals after conceding a 17-14 defeat to Argentina.
The Boks scored two tries thanks to the efforts of Brown and Mastriet. Both their tries were converted by Afrika. However the Pumas outscored the Boks by running in three tries of their own thanks to Diego Palma, who scored a brace and Ramiro del Busto. Joaquin Todeschini kicked one conversion.
Another chance in Hong Kong
“The defeat against New Zealand and Argentina and to some extent the draw against the physical Samoans are some of the hard lessons this young side will learn as we prepare for our next tournament in Hong Kong,” said SA Sevens coach Paul Treu.
“However to see our younger players come through in the manner in which Sampie Mastriet, Chris Dry and Branco du Preez has done, definitely makes me positive about the future of our side. Sampie scored a hat trick in his first game and scored nine in his first tournament. I also wanted to see how Chris Dry could handle the pressures of a final and he definitely passed the test!
“We have the chance to correct our mistakes of Adelaide in Hong Kong next week and I am positive about our chances at that tournament.”
Cecil Afrika and Chase Minnaar put in the hard yards (Pic: IRB)
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