The Blitzboks completed a disappointing challenge in their own Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament by comprehensively outplaying Samoa 35-5 in the seventh/eighth playoff game at Cape Town Stadium on Sunday evening.
After being passive and lacking their usual physicality in the games that mattered earlier in the tournament, the Blitzboks got that aspect of their play right in the match against Samoa.
They were strong in carrying the ball and equally forceful in knocking the big Samoans backwards in the tackle.
It was of course a case of too little or too late, but at least it gave long-serving Blitzbok coach Neil Powell some kind of send-off in what was his last game in charge after a nine-year tenure before he switches his attention to his new role in the 15-man game as director of rugby for the Cell C Sharks.
The Blitzboks got the sizeable crowd, many of whom probably waited on just for this game before heading home rather than stay on and watch the final at the end of a three-day tournament that maybe featured too many teams and was just too long, in behind them from the off. And, of course, that made a difference.
Sakiyiso Makata scored the first try as he went over in the left corner for an early 7-0 lead with the successful angled conversion.
Angelo Davids went over in exactly the same place a minute later but the try was disallowed after consultation with the TMO as Davids had put his foot on the touchline just before crossing.
It didn’t matter much though as Davids soon after that ran onto a kick and crossed for a try that Ronald Brown converted to make it 14-0 and then came a penalty try on the stroke of halftime that put the Blitzoks 21-0 up at the halfway point.
Siviwe Soyizwapi was then over early in the second half followed by JC Pretorius as the home team made hay while the sun flickered one final time on what has been a stellar era with Powell as coach but which ended so disappointingly.
BAD START WITH LOSS TO ARGENTINA
Earlier, South African fans did not enjoy a good start to Day 3 as the Blitzboks followed up their exit in the quarterfinal stage with a defeat to Argentina.
The loss in the very late game on Saturday night knocked the South Africans out of their own World Cup when it came to competing for the main trophy, but they still had placing playoffs to decide positions five to eight to play on Sunday.
They started off against Argentina, and although they came back twice during the game, the South Americans were never headed and always looked the better team.
Yes, pressure probably accounted for their early exit from the tournament on Saturday, but at the same time the Blitzboks just aren’t playing well at the moment and haven’t been for a while.
It took just a minute for Argentina to get their first try on the board through Luciano Gonzalez, and then Joaquin del la Vega thundered over to make it 12-0 after just two minutes.
The Blitzboks brought the already sizeable early morning crowd to their feet with a brilliant try to JC Pretorius and then they started to gain proper momentum as a multi-phase build-up sent Angelo Davids away in the corner.
With the scores level at 12-all at halftime it looked like the Boks had the momentum but one of the things the Sevens Boks have lost over time is their old obvious physicality advantage against most opponents.
It showed in the second half of this game, with the Pumas being as much broadsword as rapier in the way they simply forced their will on the Boks, with a strong, physical and direct build-up culminating in Matias Osadczuk forcing the ball down near the posts.
The Boks struck back with an excellent try to Shaun Williams, which was converted by himself to bring the scores level again but somehow it always looked like the Argentina, as front-runners through most of the game, had more energy.
When Luciano Gonzalez received the ball out wide in a position where he was between two Bok defenders he easily waltzed through for what proved the winning score and that was what sent the Blitzboks into their final game of the Powell career playing for a best position of seventh.
It was the worst South African performance in terms of finishing position since the first World Cup competed for by the Boks in Edinburgh in 1993.
The 1997 event remains the only time the Blitzboks have managed to reach the final.
BLITZBOK RESULTS FOR DAY 3
Lost to Argentina 26-19
Beat Samoa 35-5 to finish seventh.
