Blitzboks beaten in Olympic semi-final

11 August 2016 - 23:26 By TEAMtalk Media
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South Africa's quest for a gold medal in the Olympic Rugby Sevens ended in a 7-5 loss to Great Britain in Rio on Thursday.

The men in green and gold will rue their failure to capitalise on a series of chances, as they fell just short in a game that featured just two tries.

A powerful run by Roscko Speckman set up the first try, scored by Blitzbok captain Kyle Brown.

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Cecil Afrika's conversion sailed wide, meaning South Africa took a 5-0 lead into the half-time break.

Team GB struck back in the second half though, via a try from Dan Norton.

Crucially, British skipper Tom Mitchell added the conversion to give Great Britain the lead at 7-5.

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The absence of injured star speedster Seabelo Senatla was telling, as the Boks were unable to land the final blow, despite plying massive pressure in the closing stages.

South Africa will meet Japan in the bronze medal match, while Great Britain will face Fiji in the final.

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