Ryan Oosthuizen had an eventful start to the opening round of the World Sevens Series in Dubai on Thursday.
The Blitzbokke forward forgot his jersey at the team hotel‚ he conceded a penalty inside the first 10 seconds of their opening match‚ before scoring the team’s first try of the tournament in the third minute against Kenya.
It helped set up a 17-12 win for the Blitzbokke against opponents who curiously failed to win a pool match in Dubai last year.
After Oosthuizen’s try the Blitzbokke lost their way however and Siviwe Soyizwapi’s team found themselves 12-5 down at half time after the Kenyans struck back just before the break.
Alvin Otieno showed remarkable strength and determination in ridding himself of several South African defenders en route to the tryline.
Vincent Onyala then ran on to an inch-perfect kick and tiptoed along the left hand touchline before running clear.
The Blitzbokke had to score first in the second half and they duly did.
Neat sidestepping off his left foot from Rosko Specman helped restore parity early in the second half.
The Blitzbokke’s decisive score came from a familiar source when replacement Seabelo Senatla pounced on a loose ball and darted for the corner flag with time running out.
The Blitzbokke’s Pool D rivals England beat Spain 36-7‚ while other results on the opening day saw Samoa beat Canada 19-12‚ France defeated Argentina 12-10 and New Zealand overwhelmed Wales 36-7.
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