South Africa claimed a hard-fought win against Ireland on day one of the Hong Kong Sevens, as the Blitzboks look to boost their drive for Olympic Games qualification.
With the score tied 7-7 at half time, Zain Davids crashed over late on in the second half and Ricardo Duarttee nailed the crucial conversion from out wide, before the South Africans dug deep on defence for a 14-7 victory.
Speedster Mfundo Ndhlovu burst through for the opening score after a dominant period of possession by the South Africans, and Duarttee added the extras, but Ireland drew level before the break with a converted touchdown for Matt McDonald. But, Davids showed an impressive turn of speed for a big man to round the cover defence and crash over in the corner, with the Blitzboks doing enough in added time to ward off a late fightback from the Irish.
The Blitzboks next face Series leaders New Zealand on Saturday , before a clash with African rivals Kenya in their final Pool B game .
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