09-12-2006, 09:14 AM
George Sevens: Australia blitzed by tiny Tunisia, France flop in the rain
December 09, 2006 Edition 1
Dale Granger
The home heroes got the biggest cheers, but Tunisia were the real stars of the IRB Sevens tournament here yesterday as the North African minnows humiliated Australia and crushed Scotland to qualify with the elite into today's Cup battles.
South Africa kicked off the quest for their holy grail - an elusive first home soil triumph in the globetrotting extravaganza - by outclassing Kenya 45-7 before going on to beat Uganda and France in the final match of the night.
Not even the pouring rain could put a damper on the reception Jonathan Mokuena's Boks, champions in Round 1 of the IRB tournament in Dubai last week, received when they emerged for their first battle.
Kenya barely got out of their own half and Stefan Basson took the initiative for the Boks, scorching over for his hat trick of tries before the break. Then Philip Burger (scoring a brace) and Dusty Noble added the final touches to Kenyan misery compounded by a scoreboard reading 45-7 at the siren.
In their second game, against Uganda, the Boks were in an even meaner mood and within a second of the whistle, Jovan Bowles had scored the first of their nine tries.
Philip Burger and Dusty Nobel both scored another brace and Basson, again on high voltage with subtle surges of acceleration, raced away to score his fourth try of the tournament.
The final tally was 57-0, the biggest defeat of the day's play for the hapless Ugandans, eclipsing the 58-5 drubbing that England had handed poor Portugal earlier on.
It came down to South Africa against France in the final game of the day and the stakes were high as the victor would avoid playing New Zealand in today's quarter-finals, given an easier passage to the semi-finals against Tunisia.
The Boks were irresistible against Les Bleus. Burger flew in for the first of his two tries - taking his tally to six for the tournament - and by half-time South Africa had raced into a 17-0 lead after Benjamin was put clean through for South Africa's third.
Mokuena, Bowles and Basson added the fourth and fifth, to hand the French a 34-0 drubbing.
But if South Africa were the popular favourites, the African flag also flew with pride in the jerseys of minnows Tunisia, contrasting Australian colours limp and at half-mast when the North African team shocked one of the game's giants with an epic 21-12 victory.
The Australians, deadlocked with the ARU over a pay-for-play strike dispute, had left 19 of their 22 first-choice players at home in a row unresolved from Dubai last weekend - when the Wallaby's were beaten in equally embarrassing circumstances by Portugal. But that should not detract from a Tunisian effort that crushed the Wallabies, who never recovered from three first half tries scored by Sabri Guemir, Abbes Kherfani and Lofti Nino.
The sheepish Aussies rallied to score a consolation try through Brett Stapleton, but it was the Tunisians who erupted in glee at the final whistle to celebrate their greatest-ever triumph in sevens rugby.
They came back to earth with a bang, stepping out to face mighty New Zealand - who were powerful and impressive despite not picking their top 120 players - losing 33-0.
Today's quarter-finals: Fiji v Wales, Samoa v England, South Africa v Tunisia, France v New Zealand
December 09, 2006 Edition 1
Dale Granger
The home heroes got the biggest cheers, but Tunisia were the real stars of the IRB Sevens tournament here yesterday as the North African minnows humiliated Australia and crushed Scotland to qualify with the elite into today's Cup battles.
South Africa kicked off the quest for their holy grail - an elusive first home soil triumph in the globetrotting extravaganza - by outclassing Kenya 45-7 before going on to beat Uganda and France in the final match of the night.
Not even the pouring rain could put a damper on the reception Jonathan Mokuena's Boks, champions in Round 1 of the IRB tournament in Dubai last week, received when they emerged for their first battle.
Kenya barely got out of their own half and Stefan Basson took the initiative for the Boks, scorching over for his hat trick of tries before the break. Then Philip Burger (scoring a brace) and Dusty Noble added the final touches to Kenyan misery compounded by a scoreboard reading 45-7 at the siren.
In their second game, against Uganda, the Boks were in an even meaner mood and within a second of the whistle, Jovan Bowles had scored the first of their nine tries.
Philip Burger and Dusty Nobel both scored another brace and Basson, again on high voltage with subtle surges of acceleration, raced away to score his fourth try of the tournament.
The final tally was 57-0, the biggest defeat of the day's play for the hapless Ugandans, eclipsing the 58-5 drubbing that England had handed poor Portugal earlier on.
It came down to South Africa against France in the final game of the day and the stakes were high as the victor would avoid playing New Zealand in today's quarter-finals, given an easier passage to the semi-finals against Tunisia.
The Boks were irresistible against Les Bleus. Burger flew in for the first of his two tries - taking his tally to six for the tournament - and by half-time South Africa had raced into a 17-0 lead after Benjamin was put clean through for South Africa's third.
Mokuena, Bowles and Basson added the fourth and fifth, to hand the French a 34-0 drubbing.
But if South Africa were the popular favourites, the African flag also flew with pride in the jerseys of minnows Tunisia, contrasting Australian colours limp and at half-mast when the North African team shocked one of the game's giants with an epic 21-12 victory.
The Australians, deadlocked with the ARU over a pay-for-play strike dispute, had left 19 of their 22 first-choice players at home in a row unresolved from Dubai last weekend - when the Wallaby's were beaten in equally embarrassing circumstances by Portugal. But that should not detract from a Tunisian effort that crushed the Wallabies, who never recovered from three first half tries scored by Sabri Guemir, Abbes Kherfani and Lofti Nino.
The sheepish Aussies rallied to score a consolation try through Brett Stapleton, but it was the Tunisians who erupted in glee at the final whistle to celebrate their greatest-ever triumph in sevens rugby.
They came back to earth with a bang, stepping out to face mighty New Zealand - who were powerful and impressive despite not picking their top 120 players - losing 33-0.
Today's quarter-finals: Fiji v Wales, Samoa v England, South Africa v Tunisia, France v New Zealand