Injury-ravaged Blitzboks trip over final hurdle in Canada

South Africa reached a sixth consecutive final of the World Rugby Sevens Series on Sunday in Vancouver and maintained their strong overall series lead, despite going doing to England 19-7.

The Blitzboks started the tournament 24 points ahead of Fiji in second place.

They now return to South Africa on Wednesday 23 points ahead of England, who has moved into second spot on the overall log.

The lead over Fiji, current series champions and Olympic Gold medalists, is now 26 points with four tournaments remaining in the season.

The Blitzboks, who lost Justin Geduld and Stephan Dippenaar before the start of the tournament, also had to take the field in the final without Branco du Preez, who injured a pectoral muscle early and lost Rosko Specman during the match itself due to a leg injury.

The influential Specman and forward Chris Dry was afterwards named in the Vancouver Dream Team.

In the final, they took the lead early through a try by Shakes Soyizwapi but then missed a couple of opportunities to put England away.

The English, who also beat the Blitzboks in Cape Town in December, scored just before the break to level matters and twice in the second half to secure a second tournament title of the series.

A brilliant try-saving tackle by Werner Kok earlier in the day secured the Blitzboks their sixth straight finals berth.

The South African side beat USA 14-10 in an epic semifinal, with the result only determined in the last play of the match, with Kok holding up an opponent who looked set to score the winning try.

Tries by Philip Snyman and Specman, both brilliantly converted by Cecil Afrika, proved decisive.

Earlier on Sunday, the Blitzboks pulled away from Canada in the Cup quarterfinals.

The Blitzboks beat the hosts 36-7 to book a place in the last four of the tournament. Soyizwapi scored a hat-trick with Afrika, Dry and Specman adding the other five pointers.

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