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Spain shock New Zealand on opening day of Cape Town Sevens

(Photo by RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images)

After two tough opening legs of the 2022-23 Sevens World Series, things haven’t gotten any easier for New Zealand in Cape Town.

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Losses to Samoa and Australia saw the All Blacks 7s fall to ninth place in the opening tournament in Hong Kong, while a semi-final finish in Dubai last weekend boosted the Kiwis up to seventh on the overall ladder.

Placed in a pool alongside Argentina, Kenya and Spain for the South African leg of the series, New Zealand entered the tournament as narrow favourites to top their group, with Argentina looming as their biggest challengers.

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But Spain, not content with their 13th-place seeding, paid no heed to expectations and in just the second match of the day caused what will likely go down as the upset of the tournament.

NZ looked turgid in an encounter which eventually ended 12-5 in Spain’s favour and consigned the All Blacks 7s to their third opening-match loss in as many tournaments.

For Spain, the victory marked just their second ever over New Zealand, with the relative minnows of world rugby grabbing a first win over the heavyweights in 2019 in Vancouver.

Spain’s triumph wasn’t the only upset of the opening day, however.

Australia – currently second on the overall ladder courtesy of a first-place finish in Hong Kong – found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard against Great Britain, with the composite England-Scotland-Wales side grabbing an unexpected 21-19 win. With USA in strong form against Kenya, earning a 38-5 victory, it’s entirely possible that Australia miss out on progressing to the quarter-finals after going winless in last week’s tournament in Dubai.

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USA’s win over Kenya aside, the men’s competition was tightly fought on Friday morning, with Argentina scoring a 19-5 win over Kenya, Samoa beating Uruguay 21-10 and Ireland triumphing 19-5 over Japan in the men’s competition.

While the women’s competition started out similarly, with France and Canada drawing 19-all, USA beating Japan 19-14 and Fiji going 19-10 against Great Britain, the results started to balloon out throughout the day with New Zealand, Ireland and Australia thrashing Brazil, Spain and hosts South Africa.

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H
Hellhound 1 hour ago
South Africa will beat England at a canter

You forget that this was the 3rd Test between the AB's and the English this year. They were prepared and they knew how to keep NZ quiet. The Boks is not NZ.


The Boks is a whole other level. You overestimate England and underestimate the Boks. Clearly you haven't really looked at the teams. Besides the Irish games earlier this year, the Boks have mainly used experimental sides, even against the AB's.


Now they have chosen their best team available. They have targeted this game. The Boks mean business. Man for man, this Bok team is better. In strategy and player abilities there is no comparison and they are outmatched.


There isn't just monster strength, but unreal speed. In broken play there is currently no better team as well as defensively, not to even talk about the attacking threat, both from front and the back.


I'd say read between the lines, see what everyone is seeing, but clearly you are wearing blinders and is also putting too much emphasis on an AB's team the Boks beat twice this year, the same AB's that beaten England 3 times this year.


When Rassie gets serious, the players become machines. There is no stopping them. That bench is loaded with players that is fast, strong and have exceptional skills. This is a team not many teams will face before the 2027 WC, because the Boks doesn't use their best between WC's in one game. All experimental.


You will be proven wrong on Saturday and then you will wonder how you could have been so wrong. This Bok team means serious business. They came to conquer and not just by a close score. They want to demolish and they will. This England team at most is a 60 min team. Against the Boks that just won't cut it

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H
Hellhound 2 hours ago
South Africa will beat England at a canter

Not bizarre, but needed. Everyone usually lifts their game against the Boks. Now instead of facing reality, they prefer to live in the past and look hopefully toward the score of the WC semi, hoping they can recreate that result and by some miracle snatch a victory.


It's better than the alternative knowing what is going to happen. Especially looking at the experimental squads the Boks put up against the Wallabies in the RC, not using their best team. That same Wallabies beat them last week.


Now the Boks isn't using an experimental squad. They put out as close to the strongest team the Boks have available at the moment. That must scare the pants off of them. If an experimental squad can destroy the Wallabies, what would the strongest team be able to do to the English?


Instead of sinking into dispear, they prefer to hope that their players can match the Boks. Even though they know what is coming. The English are scared and they won't show it.


Now imagine how Wales must feel knowing they are up next weekend? They don't even have the dubious record of at least close losses like the English. It's a complete nightmare for these 2 countries and rightly so.


The Boks usually take the pedal of the medal post WC's, but not this Bok team. They are better than the WC winning Boks of both '19 and '23. They are stronger up front. They are faster at the back. They can hit front and back. In broken play they are the most dangerous team. They have the best defence and attack also scoring the most tries.


In a way I feel sorry for both the English and Wales. Only those with blinders on expects a close game. Looking at both teams man to man, strategy to strategy, play to play, they are so outmatched it would be a joke if it wasn't so serious. We need the NH to be strong and we need the gap to become closer in rugby so the game stay exciting because runaway scores sometimes is fun, but it doesn't bring as much joy as a close game won.

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