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Cape Town - The SA Rugby Sevens Academy team on Saturday finished second in pool B of the Sudamerica Rugby Sevens tournament in Punta del Este after securing victories against Russia (26-5) and Colombia (10-0) before suffering a narrow defeat against Uruguay (7-0).
This ensured that the team is still on track to defend the title they won in Uruguay last year, however, they will have to overcame Portugal in the Cup Quarter-final first, which will be played on Sunday.
The side started well against Russia, where two tries by Donovan du Randt and Kurt-Lee Arendse respectively steered them to a convincing win. Their defence was breached only once in the clash as Russia scored a late try.
The team also kept the Colombians away from their tryline in their second match, in which Arendse limped off. A first-half try by Wayne van der Bank had South Africa 5-0 up at the break, and the victory was sealed when Heino Bezuidenhout scored early in the second half.
Colombia attacked well in the final minutes, but the good defence kept them at bay.
In their final pool match, Uruguay scored the only try from way out, which had the locals up on their feet, while the Academy team lacked attacking options and missed Arendse.
Scorers:
v Russia - Tries: Kurt-Lee Arendse (2), Donovan du Randt (2). Conversions: Donovan du Randt (3).
v Colombia - Tries: Wayne van der Bank, Heino Bezuidenhout.
