DAY TWO MEN’S UPDATES: Veteran Siviwe Soyizwapi scored a late try to give the BlitzBoks a thrilling 26-22 win over Kenya in the quarterfinals of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong SVNS on Saturday
The South Africans were 14-22 down with a couple of minutes left on the clock before Quewin Nortje’s try got them back within touching distance.
With time up on the clock, the pressure was too much for the Kenyans as Soyizwapi scored the winning try.
Philip Snyman’s side will now face New Zealand in the Cup semifinals on Sunday.
It all looked promising for the BlitzBoks at the start, with Selvyn Davids scoring the opener.
However, Kenya took the lead with two tries before a Donavan Don try, and a conversion by Tristan Leyds gave the BlitzBoks a two-point half-time lead.
The Kenyans dominated most of the second half, and they raced into an eight-point lead before the BlitzBoks staged that fightback to win the game.
*Earlier on Saturday, the BlitzBoks thumped Argentina in their final Pool B match to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
The South Africans scored six tries on their way to a convincing 38-0 victory.
It meant that they finished level on six pool points with the Pumas and Spain. However, the BlitzBoks had a superior points difference over their rivals.
It was a big confidence booster for the BlitzBoks after they ended Day One with a 12-31 defeat to Spain. Before that, they recorded a hard-fought 12-7 win over Uruguay.
The South Africans raced into a 26-0 lead against Argentina with tries from Sebastiaan Jobb, Ryan Oosthuizen, Selvyn Davids and Tristan Leyds.
Leyds scored a second in the second half before Shilton van Wyk wrapped things up with a try of his own.
Day Two Men’s Results and Fixtures:
Spain 21-0 Uruguay
South Africa 38-0 Argentina
Great Britain 14-17 Germany
Fiji 26-24 France
USA 10-17 Kenya
Australia 12-5 New Zealand
Ninth-placed semifinals:
USA 12-17 Great Britain
Germany 12-35 Uruguay
Cup quarterfinals:
France 10-19 New Zealand
South Africa 26-22 Kenya
Australia v Spain
Fiji v Argentina