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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Blitzboks made it two from two on the opening day of the Perth Sevens on Friday, while the Springbok Women’s Sevens were felled in both their matches on day one.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South Africa opened the day’s play in Perth with a comfortable 24-7 win over Canada, before surviving a scare from Spain to claim a 21-14 victory later in the day.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The undefeated first day all but guaranteed the Springbok Sevens a spot in the quarterfinals tomorrow.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They will next face SVNS log leaders, Argentina, in their final pool match on Saturday at 6.38am (SA time).</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The opening match against Canada marked a special occasion for former Cheetahs centre David Brits and Stormers outside back Tristan Leyds – the brother of Dillyn Leyds, who has been capped 10 times at Test level.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They both made their Sevens debut for the national team with Leyds capping off the occasion with a try.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Captain Selvyn Davids was the bright spark for the Blitzboks on day one, as he scored three tries – two against Canada and another against Spain.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Against Canada, Davids scored from a counterattack after a good opening spell by the men in red. They held the ball for more than a minute, but conceded a turnover and the Blitzbok talisman dummied his way from the halfway line to score.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada took the lead shortly after, following a poor clearance kick from the Blitzboks as their defence was found wanting. A successful conversion gave Canada a 7-5 lead.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That was wiped out by Quewin Nortje, who stepped inside two defenders to score for a 10-7 lead at the break.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Davids, who instigated the Nortje try with a delightful foot pass, opened the scoring in the second half after the winger won a good turnover.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leyds scored shortly after he took the field two minutes from time, his try pushing the Blitzboks into a comfortable margin.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2028816\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1962196464.jpg\" alt=\"Ronald Brown of South Africa \" width=\"720\" height=\"429\" /> <em>Ronald Brown of South Africa with the ball during the 2024 Perth SVNS men's match against Spain in Perth, Australia, on 26 January 2024 . (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)</em></p>\r\n<h4><b>Spanish scare</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After an early yellow card to forward bruiser Zain Davids, Spain took a surprise early lead against the Blitzboks.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But South Africa grew into the game and overcame the Spanish side, again thanks to the ingenuity of their captain.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s a good start,” Davids said of the opening day’s action. “We didn’t play our best rugby the last game but we knew Spain was going to come out… there’s no easy games on the circuit.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I’d like to praise Spain, they really came out and gave us a hard time.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australia is a happy hunting ground for the Blitzboks, having made four of the last five finals held in the country.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We knew it was going to be tough Down Under. The jetlag is a bit rough on us but this tour [is labelled] the ‘no excuses tour’ and that’s something that’s helped us in the past — no excuses,” Davids added.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We’re just here to play for each other, play for the nation and play for the badge.”</span>\r\n<h4><b>Springbok Women stumble</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Springbok Women’s Sevens team continue to look good in patches but not for long enough to clinch victories on the circuit yet.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In their opening match in Perth, the Springbok Women’s Sevens were comprehensively outplayed by SVNS table-toppers and hosts Australia 31-0.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In their next pool match against Canada, they were parked on the North American side’s tryline for extended periods of the match but only came away with one try, losing 26-7.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South Africa’s final group stage match is against Great Britain at 5.32am (South African time). Team GB are on a high after shocking hosts Australia, playing with six players for most of the match, 19-12. </span><b>DM</b>",
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Ronald Brown of South Africa with the ball during the 2024 Perth SVNS men's match against Spain in Perth, Australia, on 26 January 2024 . (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)