By Mark Etheridge
The Blitzboks bounced back from a shock setback at Scotland to beat Japan in day one action of the HSBC Paris Sevens tournament on Saturday.
They beat Japan 35-5 in their second Pool A clash of the day.
Tries by Cecil Afrika and Shakes Soyizwapi saw them lead 14-0 at the break.
The second try was booed by the home crowd after it appeared that Branco du Preez had knocked the ball on before hoofing it ahead. Soyizwapi in turn also bounced it further ahead off his thigh before collecting and going over near the posts.
Both tries were converted by Du Preez, who had also set up the first try of the game.
The second half saw the Blitzboks off to a quick start. Replacement Rosco Speckman had a great run down the left, committing most of the Japanese defence and Werner Kok then burst through the middle for another converted seven-pointer.
Just over half way through the half, the Japanese, frustrated at not being able to run their way through the Blitzboks defence, opted for a ranging kick down the left flank, but after the ball went loose it was Africa who collected and ran two-thirds of the pitch to make it 28-0 along with the conversion. It was series try No 153 for Africa.
With 1:49 left to play it, was Soyizwapi who picked up his second try of the game when he went around his opponent down the left and under the posts.
Ninety seconds after the hooter the Japanese finally got on the board after running from their goal-line. Naomi Motomura wasn’t clearly held in the tackle and got back to his feet. Even speedster Soyizwapi was too exhausted to give chase.
In the earlier game it seemed the pressure of knowing they are so close to sealing the overall series had perhaps got to the Blitzboks.
They looked a shadow of the side that has dominated this series.
The South Africans went up 5-0 early on before two quick tries by Jamie Farndale and Hugh Blake saw the Scots leading 10-5.
A yellow card to Afrika for what was deemed a neck roll didn’t help matters and Scott Wight made things secure for the Scots at 19-5.
There was a late consolation try for Soyizwapi to at least give the Blitzboks double figures, but if ever coach Neil Powell and his men needed to know that they are going to have to fight every last centimetre of the way for the overall title, this was it.
In the picture, Blitzboks skipper Philip Snyman poses with Canada’s Nathan Hiriyama and Scottish skipper Scott Riddell during the captain’s photocall earlier this week. Picture by Baptiste Fernandez/IconSport