Seabelo Senatla scored a brace as the Blitzboks began their Cape Town Sevens campaign with a resounding 41-0 win over Russia, reports JON CARDINELLI at Cape Town Stadium

The madly passionate local crowd could not have asked for a better start. Two minutes had elapsed in the Blitzboks’ Pool A opener when the ball was shifted to the right wing, and Senatla beat the Russian cover defence to score.

The South African fans were on their feet again after Senatla claimed his second. This time, it was a piece of ggressive defence by Cecil Afrika that allowed the hosts to win a turnover on their own 22m line. Chris Dry took play up to the halfway line, before finding Senatla with a well-timed no-look pass.

By half-time, the Blitzboks were up 17-0 thanks to a further try by captain Philip Snyman. The hosts maintained the pressure at the breakdowns in the second stanza, and excellent finishing ensured that Dylan Sage, Werner Kok (twice), and Justin Geduld also got on the scoresheet.

Blitzboks’ remaining fixtures (Day 1)
16:10: vs USA
19:56: vs Australia

All the Cape Town Sevens fixtures and results