South Africa hammered Uruguay 33-7 to book their place in the 9th place final of the Hong Kong Sevens on Saturday morning.
The 9th place final will be an all-African affair with the Blitzboks going up against Kenya, who qualified for the match by beating the United States 17-10 in their semi-final.
After a promising start to the weekend, South Africa found themselves out of the Cup competition after losses to Australia and New Zealand. But, in 19-year-old Gino Cupido, the team found a new star for the future.
In Saturday’s 9th place semi-final, the Blitzboks were simply too good for their opponents. The South Americans were able to match the Blitzboks in physicality early on, but the South African defence was able to hold them back.
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After winning the ball near their try line, the men in green and gold found themselves with space, and Impi Visser was able to put on the burners to score the opening try of the game.
After the restart, the South Africans kept the ball well, and the team’s new superstar Cupido was able to find some space to score their second try of the game, giving them a 14-0 lead, which they took into the half time break.
Immediately after the break, a misplaced pass by the Uruguayans gave the ball back to South Africa, and after some quick interplay, Shilton van Wyk was able to cross the try line for the team’s third. Cupido added his second of the game just minutes later.
Not long after, Dewald Human got himself on the board after coming on as a substitute. Mateo Vinals was able to score a late consolation try for the South Americans, who were out of their depth for much of the match.
The quarter-finalists at the #HSBCSVNSHKG have been locked in🔐
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 29, 2025
The @Blitzboks are out of contention for a title in Hong Kong ❌#HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/ZNJJ7cHeSq
Earlier on Saturday morning, South Africa were beaten 17-7 by New Zealand, which meant they finished third in the Pool B, and were eliminated from Cup competition. South Africa began their weekend with a 40-7 win over Uruguay on Friday, and followed that up with a 26-7 loss to Australia.
IOL Sport