Angelo Davids of South Africa runs for a try in the men’s rugby sevens round two match against France during the Sydney Sevens rugby tournament at Bankwest Stadium on February 1, 2020. (Photo by SAM MOOY / AFP)
Angelo Davids stars as Blitzboks get off to perfect start in Sydney
Twin hat-tricks from Angelo Davids gave the Blitzboks convincing wins over Argentina and France in Sydney.
Angelo Davids of South Africa runs for a try in the men’s rugby sevens round two match against France during the Sydney Sevens rugby tournament at Bankwest Stadium on February 1, 2020. (Photo by SAM MOOY / AFP)
Blitzboks youngster Angelo Davids dived over six times on the opening day of the 2020 edition of the Sydney Sevens on Saturday.
South Africa were coming off a disappointing outing in the previous leg of the world series in Hamilton, and desperate to bounce back in a tough Pool alongside Argentina, France and Samoa.
Angelo Davids stars in Sydney
The opening match, however, proved not to be as stiff a task as it looked on paper for the men in green, with the 20-year-old inspiring Neil Powell’s men to a convincing 52-14 with the first of his two hat-tricks on the day.
Playing in only his fourth tournament, Davids dotted down for his first try after the Blitzboks had already opened up a comfortable 14-0 lead.
This is after collecting a grubber from namesake, Selvyn Davids, who – along with JC Pretorius – had put his name on the scoresheet.
South Africa continued their dominance, with Zain Davids and Justin Geduld – playing in his 50th tournament – both diving over to take their side 38-points clear, before the South Americans finally got off the mark.
However, Angelo Davids restored the margin as he swerved his way onto the try line to make it 45-7, before completing his hat-trick to round up the scoring for the Blitzboks.
Argentina had the final say in the game, but it was way too little too late, as they succumbed to an embarrassing defeat.
Blitzboks continue their dominance
Next up for the Blitzboks was France, and Angelo Davids did not hesitate to make his mark – this time dotting down first to give his side an early lead.
However, there was to be no early dominance, with their opponents hitting back almost immediately to level matters at seven-all.
South Africa were back in front, as Impi Visser and Pretorius combined to make it 14-7, before Davids grabbed his second of the match to push the men in green further ahead.
France reduced the gap to seven points after both sides failed to convert their last tries, but Davids would soon seal a 24-12 win for South Africa by completing his second hat-trick on the day.
The Blitzboks top their pool, with one match remaining.
They play Samoa in the early hours of Sunday morning, with the game kicking off at 2:51 (SAST).
