Blitzboks Begin Olympic Qualifying Tournament With Eight-Try Win Over Mexico

The Springbok Sevens began their World Rugby Sevens Repechage campaign in Monaco on Friday with a 44-0 victory over Mexico at Stade Louis II.

The Blitzboks scored four tries in each half and never looked concerned about Mexico, who had a player red-carded, which did not assist their cause at all.

South Africa scored some well-worked touchdowns, with Quewin Nortje scoring twice in the first half, after Shilton van Wyk’s opening try. Christie Grobbelaar also scored after a long pass, finding himself unmarked in the corner.

With only six men on the field in the second half, Mexico was unable to close all of the gaps and conceded four more.

Team captain Selvyn Davids stated, “We are pleased with the first game. I believe we created a great foundation, performed our fundamentals well, and did what the coaches requested of us. We understood that if we looked after the system, it would look after us.

“It’s going to get a lot tougher now. The next game will be more physical than today; we expect Tonga to come out firing, so we’ll have to stick to our strengths.

“Obviously, we need to approach it game by game. Sunday will be essential, but we must focus on each game until then.”

After winning their first matches, the three main contenders, Spain, Great Britain, and South Africa, are all at the top of their pools.