Blitzboks flyer Shilton van Wyk scores. Photo: Blitzboks.
Van Wyk dazzles as Blitzboks makes winning start in Hamilton
Shilton van Wyk bags hat-trick as the Blitzboks thrash Canada 34-5 in the opening game of the New Zealand Sevens in Hamilton on Friday night.
Blitzboks flyer Shilton van Wyk scores. Photo: Blitzboks.
Shilton van Wyk bagged a hat-trick as the Blitzboks thrashed Canada 34-5 in the opening game of the New Zealand Sevens in Hamilton on Friday night.
It wasn’t plain sailing for the Blitzboks, especially in the first half, but they worked off the early rustiness to produce a brilliant all-round performance that sends a statement of intent to their rivals.
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The sides were deadlocked at 5-5 after five minutes, with van Wyk scoring first for the Blitzboks before the Canadians hit back.
But the Springbok Sevens side wrestled the ascendancy with two quick-fire scores by Van Wyk and playmaker Selvyn Davids, who is back after a lengthy injury layoff. And Tricky Ricky was on hand to add both conversions for a 19-5 lead at the mid-way mark.
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It was one-way traffic after the interval as the Blitzboks added three more tries, all of them unconverted, to make it a rout.
Van Wyk opening the scoring in the second half to complete his hat-trick, before teammates Christie Grobbelaar and Shaun Williams put the finishing touches of an already sparking Blitzboks performance.
That said, one area of concern that will be lingering in the back of coach Sandile Ngcobo’s mind is poor goal-kicking. Two of out six conversion attempts, which translates to a 33% success rate, is a worrisome statistic and Ngcobo and co will be hoping that changes as the tournament progresses.
WATCH: VAN WYK COMPLETES HAT-TRICK FOR BLITZBOKS
BLITZBOKS’ POOL D SCHEDULE IN HAMILTON (SA TIMES):
Friday, 20 January
Beat Canada 34-5
Saturday, 21 January
v Spain – 01:38
v Argentina – 04:44
Blitzboks squad — Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser, Zain Davids, Selvyn Davids, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Christie Grobbelaar, Shaun Williams, Masande Mtshali, Shilton van Wyk, Darren Adonis, Dalvon Blood, Jaiden Baron, Ricardo Duarttee.
