Share

Powell: Blitzboks need to be sharp to advance to final

Cape Town - The Blitzboks kept their dream of a first ever Rugby World Cup Sevens title alive as they set up a semi-final encounter against England on Sunday.

The Springbok Sevens side defeated Scotland 36-5 at AT&T Park, San Francisco on Saturday to set up a semi-final spot. 

The Blitzboks, who outplayed Ireland on Friday evening, again fired on all cylinders and tries by Werner Kok (2), Justin Geduld (2), Siviwe Soyizwapi and Ruhan Nel eased them into the final four of the tournament.

But Blitzbok coach Neil Powell warned that his team will have to look after their ball possession if they want to progress to the final, as England are a dangerous side from unstructured defence.

"The guys really pitched up against Scotland and I was very pleased about that," said Powell.

"We were very clinical and used every opportunity we had to score. We gave Scotland very little, to be honest. That could come to nothing if we don't show up with the same intensity against England in the semi-final."

Powell realised his team will need further improvement against England, who edged the USA in extra time to make it into the final four.

"England play sharp rugby as we saw against the USA," said the Blitzbok coach.

"Their ability to retain restarts was instrumental in that win against the US and that is an aspect of our play we will need to be very sharp at if we want the ball."

New Zealand and Fiji, who will contest the other semi-final, respectively beat France and Argentina in the other quarter-finals.

Kick-off against England on Sunday is at 21:40 SA time. 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1846 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1812 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1102 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 471 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 262 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE