A late surge saw New Zealand triumph over South Africa 19-7 in the headline match on the opening day of the IRB Sevens World Series yesterday, but it was Fiji who loomed as the tournament threat.
New Zealand, the series leaders, and South Africa, the defending champions, were locked at 7-7 with less than two minutes to play and with both aware the loser would face Fiji in the quarter-finals.
South Africa had made all the play in the second half and spent most of the time inside the New Zealand 22, before cracking as the pressure mounted.
PHOTO: REUTERS
New Zealand’s first foray into South African territory in the second spell ended with Zar Lawrence touching down and Kurt Baker followed immediately after play resumed to seal the outcome.
Earlier in Pool A, New Zealand had beaten Wales 29-5 and Niue 49-5 and will now play Australia in the quarter-finals.
South Africa registered wins of 38-10 over Niue and 38-5 against Wales before falling to New Zealand, leaving them destined to face Fiji in the play-off rounds.
The Fijians were rampant in Pool B, rounding off their day by whipping Australia 38-7.
Fiji chalked up an impressive 115 points on the day, adding to their victory over Australia with a 36-5 win over Scotland and beating Papua New Guinea 41-0.
On the other side of the draw, England beat Kenya 24-10 for the two teams to finish one-two in Pool C, while Canada provided the day’s biggest upset when they beat Argentina 26-7 to finish second behind Samoa in Pool D.
Samoa will play Kenya in the quarter-finals today, while England meet Canada.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS