Cape Town — Argentina coach Santiago Gomez Cora hailed an outstanding performance by his team after they romped to a 45-12 victory over Australia in the final of the Cape Town Sevens on Saturday.
“They play with passion and the same consistency in every game,” said Gomez Cora. “Our preparation was very good. We have been preparing for five months. The process started seven years ago. We were looking for different kinds of players.”
Argentina went to the top of the World Rugby SVNS Series after finishing runners-up to South Africa in the opening event in Dubai last weekend.
Playing slick, error-free rugby Argentina ran in seven tries – two by player of the match Matias Osadczuk – against two by Australia.
There were two shocks in the quarter-finals. Ireland gained their first series win against New Zealand, building up a 26-0 half-time lead on the back of a hat-trick of tries by Terry Kennedy, before holding on to win 36-21.
Australia then silenced a large home crowd with a comprehensive 28-0 win over South Africa, who have not won a title at home since 2018.
And the winners of #HSBCSVNSCPT are…@lospumas7arg and @Aussie7s 🥳#HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/ksbab7Amnc
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) December 10, 2023
Argentina ended Ireland’s unbeaten run with a 26-19 victory in the semi-finals, while Australia produced another dominant performance, beating Fiji 24-7.
France produced an upset in the women’s semi-finals with a spirited 24-12 win against New Zealand, with the outstanding Anne-Cecile Ciofani setting the tone with two unanswered tries in the first half.
Australia won their second successive tournament, beating France 29-26 in the final.
Australia seemed headed for a runaway win when they led 22-0 lead in the final, with Maddison Levi, the tournament’s top try-scorer, crossing for her eighth and ninth tries. But France fought back with two tries before half-time and Levi was red-carded for head contact at the end of the half.
Reduced to six players, Australia held on for a tense win. “We always fight for each other, to keep going in the second half was so good,” said Kaitlin Shave, whose late try clinched the title.
The next tournament in the eight-event World Rugby SVNS series is in Perth, Australia, from January 26 to 28.
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Source: AFP
Picture: X/@lospumas7arg
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