Blitzboks into Dubai Semi-Finals After Beating Argentina

The Springbok Sevens side scored two first half tries and then defended strongly to secure a 12-5 win over Argentina in the Cup quarter-finals of the Dubai Sevens on Saturday.

The will face Samoa later in the day (13h22 SA time) after the Pacific Islanders outplayed Australia in their quarter-final. England and New Zealand will contest the other semi-final.

The Blitzboks started well against Argentina, who yesterday knocked over Fiji. A sustained attack, with numerous phases and good support play saw Justin Geduld over in the corner after two minutes.

The match, with Argentina bringing a very physical approach, went to and fro as both sides probed for weaknesses. A try by Rosko Specman, in the sixth minute, proved to be the game-changer.

Argentina forced an attacking line-out near the Blitzbok line, but they fluffed the throw-in and were penalised for holding onto the ball in a tackle. Ryan Oosthuizen seized the moment – he tapped and set off, finding Geduld who found a flying Specman on the outside. The talisman ran 70 meters to score under the posts for a well-deserved half-time lead.

The second half was equally tight with defences holding sway. It was Argentina though who broke the deadlock in the 10th minute with a well-worked try.

The Blitzboks defended their seven-point lead till the very end though, with a crucial turn-over won by Dylan Sage in the final play allowing them to kick for touch and a place in the final four of the tournament.

Scorers:

South Africa – Tries: Justin Geduld, Rosko Specman. Conversion: Geduld.

Argentina – Try: Matias Osadczuk.