Blitzboks book place in Cup Final in Dubai

The Blitzboks qualified for a fifth consecutive Emirates Dubai Sevens final on Sunday by beating Fiji 14-7 in a dramatic match at The Sevens Stadium. The win was only sealed late in the clash when Masande Mtshali added only his second career try to his tally.

It was a match of very clear-cut chances as defences held sway and for the first six minutes of the match, no one gave an inch. The stalemate was broken by a Justin Geduld try next to the sticks and he converted that himself to put his side 7-0 up.

Geduld had another strong run but was tackled short on the buzzer.

Fiji struck back early in the second half when Pilipo Bukayaro was at the end of a typical, flowing Fiji attack, with his burst of speed taking him past two Blitzboks defenders. That left it all to play for with four minutes to go.

The SA try came from a good hack ahead by Rosko Specman and when the sole Fijian defender tracking back lost possession, Mtshali was quick to pounce and score. Dewald Human converted and the road to the final was cleared.

Earlier, the Blitzboks scored four tries en route to a 24-7 over Australia in their quarterfinal clash.

South Africa 14 (7), Fiji 7 (0)SA - Tries: Justin Geduld, Masande Mtshali. Conversions: Justin Geduld, Ronald Brown.Fiji - Try: Pilipo Bukayaro. Conversion: Terio Tamani

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