Cape Town — The Springbok Sevens side beat Chile 32-5 in their opening game at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town on Friday.
The Blitzboks got off to a top start with a try by Angelo Davids after the wing did well to scoop up the oval after one of Selvyn Davids's little dinks before putting that pace to use to score the opener in the first minute (5-0).
Sako Makata made sure to add his name to the score sheet as well (10-0) after some good work from the kick-off.
It was try after try by Neil Powell's men. Muller du Plessis put in a nifty cross-kick which found Christie Grobbelaar, who scored in the corner. Davids hit his target with this attempt off the tee to give them a 17-0 advantage.
Chile managed to get a try (17-5) just before half time, but that would be all they got.
The Blitzboks were no less potent in the second half.
Ronald Brown was quick to pounce and snatch the ball up after a scrum, and that ridiculous pace was again on show as he scored his first try at Cape Town Stadium (22-5).
Mfundo Ndhlovu left a Chilean defender grasping at air as he stepped him to swerve and spring his way to the Blitzboks' fifth try (27-5), but they weren't done yet.
Ndhlovu had a superb hand in their last try. As the Blitzboks moved the ball through the hands, Ndhlovu tapped the ball volleyball-style to Angelo Davids to run in their fifth try (32-5). Veteran Cecil Afrika, who returned to the squad for the World Cup, missed the conversions, but it mattered not as the hosts had done enough.
In the match right before that, France kept the Springbok Women scoreless in their Rugby World Cup Sevens opener as they thumped the hosts 24-0.
France first got on the scoreboard after they worked the ball through the hands quickly, with Lou Noel rounding the hosts' defence to score an unconverted try in the corner (5-0).
The South Africans spent a large portion of the opening half in France's territory and created some promising opportunities, but the French were just too quick to capitalise when a chance came their way.
From their own half, France made use of their speed out wide again, and this time it was Camille Grassineau who crossed over. Jade Ulutule made no mistake with the conversion this time to take the score to 12-0.
Chloe Pelle made France's lead a commanding one when she raced to the try line and Ulutule again added the two points.
Trailing 19-0 at half time, South Africa would have been desperate to get some points on the scoreboard in the second stanza but France struck the first blow to go 24-0 up courtesy of Pelle's brace.
Point scorers (men):
South Africa 32 — Tries: Angelo Davids, Mfundo Ndhlovu, Ronald Brown, Christie Grobbelaar, Sakoyisa Makata, Conversions: Selwyn Davids
Chile 5 — Try: Joaquin Huici
Point scorers (women):
South Africa 0
France 29 — Tries: Lou Noel, Chloe Pelle (2), Camille Grassineau, Conversions: Jade Ulutule (2)
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