Blitzboks headed for lowest placing at World Cup after loss to Pumas

Perhaps still shell-shocked from their defeat in the quarterfinals of the World Cup Sevens, the Blitzboks on Sunday morning added to the gloom at Cape Town Stadium with a 26-19 defeat to Argentina.

They can finish no higher than seventh in a tournament they harboured serious ambitions of winning. They will play Samoa at 6.15pm on Sunday but they are already destined for their lowest finish at a World Cup Sevens tournament.

On Sunday they were again off the pace at the start as Argentina strode to a 12-0 lead but Selwyn Davids made several offensive tackles and the hosts upped the intensity as the first half wore on.

Soon their shoulder-to-the-wheel approach paid dividends as JC Pretorius and Angelo Davids dotted down to level the score at the break. Argentina again got their noses in front before Shaun Williams helped level matters with another converted try.

Though the hosts again wiped out the deficit Argentina found an extra gear with two minutes to go. Luciano Gonzales rounded off an attack and dotted down near the uprights to hand Argentina the win.

Not even the introduction of Cecil Afrika for the last 47 seconds altered the course of the match.

If the Blitzboks were still deflated from their defeat to Ireland they would have had every reason to be devoid of effervescence.

Their 24-14 defeat late on Saturday night has robbed the tournament much of its sparkle on the final day.

Coach Neil Powell lamented his team's lack of momentum in the quarterfinal.

“We did not use our opportunities and then you are going to find it hard to pull that game back, like we saw tonight,” said Powell, who is presiding over the team for the last time at this event.

“The basic errors from players tonight were not expected, like not finding touch, not winning line-outs, throwing passes into touch — those were errors that were not expected from the players, but that happened unfortunately. They are normally a lot more clinical in the execution of their skill sets.”

Powell's ambition for his team to be more clinical against Argentina didn't materialise.

“I don't know what is more disappointing, letting the system down or letting the country down,” sighed JC Pretorius after the defeat to Argentina. “It was a better performance than yesterday because we kept the ball more but the scoreboard wasn't in our favour.

“We made a promise to ourselves we can be disappointed in the night but when we wake up we have another job.”

That, however, proved a false dawn.

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