South Africa’s Blitzboks will renew their rivalry with Australia in the quarterfinals of the Cape Town Sevens on Sunday.
The hosts finished second in Pool A after registering two wins and one defeat.
During the preliminary matches, the South Africans have unearthed a real talent in Quewin Nortje as they set out on their quest for a first home title since 2015.
The flyer added two more tries to the four he scored on debut in Dubai last week, as they beat Great Britain 19-5 in their opener.
“It’s such a privilege to be here. A first Cape Town sevens is just an incredible experience,” Nortje told World Rugby after making his first appearance in front of a joyous home crowd who had started the party early.
In the hosts’ second match, Lucas Lacamp scored two tries in quick succession as USA came back to level the scores after being 14-0 down – but touchdowns for Impi Visser and Ronald Brown in the closing minutes ensured the Blitzboks went two for two, winning 26-14.
But the best was saved for the final match of Pool A, the final match of the day, as Ireland shocked the hosts to edge a high-intensity encounter 14-12.
Ireland finished top of the pool with nine points.
Sunday’s quarter finals will see Argentina play Canada, Ireland face New Zealand, Australia play South Africa and Fiji take on France.
Cape Town Sevens
Quarterfinals fixtures
South Africa v Australia
Argentina v Canada
Ireland v New Zealand
Fiji v France
