South Africa maintained their pre-eminence in rugby’s shortest form after a 26-7 victory over Kenya in the final of the Adelaide International Sevens tournament at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
The South Africans looked likely winners from the moment they saw off New Zealand 17-0 in the quarter-finals, overcoming a spirited Kenyan unit who had defeated Argentina 17-5 to qualify for the cup final.
Already leading the overall standings comfortably, the South Africans extended their advantage by picking up the maximum 20 tournament points, with only two more 2009 events – in England and Scotland – to come.
The Australians, meanwhile, ended the weekend as losers to England in the consolation plate final, coming from behind to tie the contest 19-19 at the end of normal time but coming unstuck in sudden death.
Coach Michael O’Connor called the event a step forward for his side, as wins over England and Samoa confirmed an ability to match it with the world’s better exponents of sevens rugby.
“They’ve got to have a lot more belief in themselves now after mixing it with the top sides and it’s been a very worthwhile weekend,” he said.
“We’ve played some really good, attractive rugby and we’ve been in every game.
“I’ve been really happy with the commitment from the boys, they’re committed to trying to improve and they want to try to reach the levels of Kenya and South Africa and it will happen in the not-too-distant future if they keep going.”
Australia were knocked out of the cup in the quarters by a disciplined Argentina, whose defensive solidity underpinned at 12-5 result.
Having shown promising form to reach the quarters, Australia enjoyed precious little time in possession against the Argentines, and when they did an error was never far away.
First-half tries to Dino Tomas Caceres and Martin Bustos Moyan gave the visitors a 12-0 halftime advantage and in the second period they were able to restrict Australia’s efforts to get back in touch, holding them scoreless until Shaun Foley crossed the line with little more than a minute remaining.
A series of injuries at the event saw six local players drafted in to represent their countries across the weekend, which was watched by a total crowd of 28,186.
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