Blitzboks slip to fourth spot in Cape Town

The HSBC Cape Town Sevens ended on a disappointing note for the Springbok Sevens team as the rain came down at DHL Stadium, with the USA winning the bronze medal match by 22-14 on Sunday evening.

It was the Blitzboks' second defeat of the day as the team struggled to replicate their sublime form from Saturday, going down to Samoa with a golden point in the semi-final before struggling to put away the Americans.

USA had all the early possession and it wasn't much of a surprise when Marcus Tupuola exploited space out wide for the first try in the third minute, and shortly thereafter their lead stretched to 10-0 when Malacchi Esdale scored their second five-pointer.

The Blitzboks pulled one back when Siviwe Soyizwapi raced away from a clever cross-kick by Dalvon Blood, and Du Preez's conversion made it 10-7 with just under two minutes to go in the half.

But with time up on the clock, USA forced a turn-over at a ruck and Joe Schroeder ran all of 50m to score their third try for a 15-7 lead at the break.

A minute into the second half, the Americans stretched their lead to 15 points when Faitala Talapusi scored their fourth try, leaving a mountain to climb for the Blitzboks if they were to win bronze.

Blood closed the gap with a great try down the blindside and with Ricardo Duarttee adding the extras, it was 22-14 with three minutes to go.

They kept on making uncharacteristic mistakes in their own half, and the USA held on for the win and the bronze medal.

Scorers:

Springbok Sevens 14 (7) - Tries: Siviwe Soyizwapi, Dalvon Blood. Conversions: Branco du Preez, Ricardo Duarttee.

USA 22 (15) - Tries: Marcus Tupuola, Malacchi Esdale, Joe Schroeder, Faitala Talapusi. Conversion: Tupuola.