DAY THREE WRAP: Argentina defeated South Africa 19-12 to secure their fourth consecutive HSBC SVNS title at BC Place, while Spain take bronze with a win over Fiji
Argentina continued their love affair with Vancouver as they proved too strong for South Africa in the Final of the HSBC SVNS at BC Place.
The bull-like power of Luciano Gonzalez, named HSBC Player of the Final, helped him score two early tries, the second his 150th for Los Pumas.
Leading 12-0 at half-time and on a winning streak of 22 games in beautiful British Columbia, Argentina looked unbeatable and all the more so when Tobias Wade crossed over at the start of the second period.
Quewin Nortje’s solo try down the left and a well-worked try finished by Siviwe Soyizwape suggested the tables were turning but South Africa could not muster more points and the final ended 19-12.
“I am very proud of my team,” Argentina captain Santiago Mare said after the final whistle marked a fourth consecutive title on Canada’s west coast. “I really like Vancouver and the stadium. We are very happy to play rugby here.”
Third-place play-off
Spain conjured a rare win over Fiji to finish third and move on to 64 points for the season, four adrift of leaders Argentina and two ahead of Fiji and South Africa.
Manu Moreno scored two tries for the Europeans to overturn a first-minute try by Joseva Talacolo.
Fiji looked flat-footed as Jeremy Trevithick zipped through after the break to score and Jaime Manteca’s finish of a lovely flowing move eased Spain to a 22-7 win.
Semifinals
Argentina scraped past Spain 7-0 in their semifinal earlier on the third day of action. They had won their last 17 games against Spain and in their last-four meeting in Perth had enjoyed a 40-7 triumph.
However, it took a brilliant Marcos Moneta saving tackle to keep the match goalless at half-time.
The breakthrough came when Luciano Gonzalez bludgeoned his way through the red jerseys and Moneta rounded off the move.
Spain’s cause to get back on terms was hampered when Roberto Ponce was red-carded for lifting and dumping German Schulz dangerously.
The semifinal between South Africa and Fiji was far more riveting.
Joji Nasova ran the length of the pitch to make it 5-0 to Fiji and things looked even bleaker for the BlitzBoks when Sebastiaan Jobb was sent off.
However, Nasova was sin-binned for a tip tackle on Shilton van Wyk, so Fiji lost the benefit of the extra player for a couple of minutes.
The six men of South Africa tied the match at 5-5 when Selvyn Davids supplied 25-year-old Van Wyk who sped into the corner.
South Africa managed to pin Fiji near their own try line but eventually they broke out through Terio Veilawa and Jeremaia Matana scored to make it 10-5.
But astonishingly, Donavan Don kicked and collected to score behind the posts for South Africa and Davids’ knocked over the conversion for a 12-10 success.
Play-offs
Great Britain deservedly secured fifth place. They led New Zealand 12-10 at half-time courtesy of tries by Sunni Jardine and Harry Glover but the moment fans will most likely recall was the stunning offload by Frank Vaenuku for Joe Webber to score for New Zealand.
Luke Mehson grappled with Vaenuku but the Kiwi had the might and nous to throw the ball out the back door for his appreciative teammate.
Will Homer scored twice in the second half, displaying seemingly endless energy, and Freddie Roddick scored the final points in the 31-10 triumph.
A late Jordan Sepho try for France was not enough to prevent Australia clinching seventh place with a 15-12 win. Sidney Harvey had put the Aussies a try to the good before Ben Dalton ripped the ball to make it 10-0.
Offloads by Joe Quere Karaba and Leo Monin set up Simon Desert to cut the deficit to three points but James Turner’s score put the game beyond France’s reach despite Sepho’s best efforts.
USA took ninth place with a 22-21 win over Uruguay. The match was in the balance after Will Chevalier and Pedro Hoblog traded scores, but with Uruguay leading 21-17 Ignacio Rodriguez was sin-binned and Jacob Broselle ran in the winning try in his absence.
In the first of the playoffs to determine placings, Ireland claimed 11th spot against Kenya, the experienced Bryan Mollen catching the throw-in at a line out and running it home to win 19-14.
Women
Fiji’s surprise run to the final ends in defeat by the free-scoring Black Ferns at BC Place, while Australia finish in third place
New Zealand added the Vancouver HSBC SVNS title to their Cape Town crown as Fiji’s fairytale run to the final ended in a 41-7 loss.
In the first meeting of the teams in a SVNS series final, Fijiana faced a daunting task of ending New Zealand’s run of 17 wins at BC Place.
It seemed they were still trying to process the shock of losing Ilisapeci Delaiwau to the sin-bin for kicking the ball away when HSBC Player of the Final Risi Pouri-Lane scored.
Manaia Nuku crossed the line too before the little battling Fijian came back on, and when Stacey Waaka scored her ninth of the weekend after a Jorja Miller snipe and Miller’s alertness at a penalty resulted in her scoring the fourth, the 22-0 lead at half-time proved to be insurmountable.
Michaela Brake and Mahina Paul scored cup final tries in the second half to add the gloss, with a Sesenieli Donu lung-burster a temporary boost for Fiji, but a memorable moment was the sight of the teenager Maia Davis grinning broadly as she scored on her debut.
“We love coming here to Vancouver,” said the Black Ferns skipper Sarah Hirini after her team clinched their third straight title in Vancouver.
“We love playing our Fijiana sisters. They’re an amazing team. It was a pretty cool Oceania final.
“It’s nice to have Stacey back and Maia debuting. You could see how happy she was running in for her first try.”
Fiji will have earned themselves many new fans with their displays under the dome. A further reward was their move up the HSBC SVNS table from 11th to 8th place.
Third-place play-off
Australia maintained their 100% record against Japan to take the bronze medal, while Japan’s fourth place was their best finish ever.
The underdogs took the lead when Hanako Utsumi picked up on the second phase of the attack after Chiaki Saegusa broke from her own 10m line but was caught by Kiiahla Duff yet still managed to keep the play moving.
Tia Hinds jinked through to make it 7-7 before Yukino Tsujisaki was sin-binned for knocking the ball down with her hand.
Faith Nathan used the numerical advantage to put the Australians 14-7 up at the break but Tsujisaki made up for her absence with a try once she re-entered the fray. Japan’s valiant efforts fell short as the impressive Charlotte Caslick and Hinds went across for a 26-12 victory.
Semifinals
Fiji took to the pitch just after their men’s team had lost their semi-final against South Africa. They faced a Japan outfit that had defeated them 19-14 in their pool contest but that was making their first semi-final appearance.
Fijiana got off to a flier, Adita Milinia running through the middle to score within 15 seconds. Ilisapeci Delaiwau ran from her own 10m line to cross over before Sesenieli Donu made it three converted tries by half-time.
Yukino Tsujisaki put the finishing touch to slick Japan interplay but, as the team wilted, Milinia’s angled run in to the posts from the halfway line sealed a 28-7 win for Fiji and a place in the final.
A Stacey Waaka-inspired New Zealand team ensured they would be Fiji’s opponents. It is the ninth time they have reached the final in Canada, this time the result of a convincing 29-10 win over Australia.
Waaka was first to score but Charlotte Caslick’s linebreak meant Australia soon trailed by only two points. Scores by Michaela Brake and Jorja Miller extended the Black Ferns’ lead to 19-5 by the break.
Teagan Levi was only just back on the pitch from a lower-leg injury when she goose-stepped, made some yards and offloaded to Faith Nathan for her sixth try of the event. Miller and Waaka’s combinations have been a joyous feature of the Vancouver SVNS. They worked together again for Waaka’s hat-trick ahead of Kelsey Tenet’s final score.
Play-offs
Crystal Kaua’s Brazil earned their best ever placing as they finished fifth by beating Great Britain 19-10.
Grace Crompton’s pace helped her grab a brace for Britain, but even she was unable to catch the mesmerising Thalia Costa, her second try of the match taking her international tally to 111. Yasmin Soares provided Brazil’s other try.
Canada won a pulsating seventh-place playoff against USA in no small part thanks to Asia Hogan-Rochester. Straight from kick-off she had the home fans on their feet when she collected the high ball, spliced the Americans and enjoyed the acclaim of the crowd throughout her lengthy sprint to the posts.
Florence Symonds scored a double, aided by Olivia Apps, to make it 17-0, before Hogan-Rochester somehow got back to prevent Ariana Ramsey scoring, though Ramsey got on the scoresheet either side of half-time.
Olivia Sarabura scored her first Canada try and Symonds rounded off a hat-trick for a 27-10 win.
“We’ve worked our entire careers for moments like these,” said Hogan-Rochester afterwards.
France kept their focus to deal with a first-half China comeback and ease clear to clinch ninth place with a 26-12 result.
Wang Wanyu and Zhou Yan had overturned Alycia Christiaens’ score but France steadied when Valentine Lothoz bulldozed her way through from halfway to establish a 14-12 lead.
Lou Noel showed good footwork to go over the line, and Hawa Tounkara was on hand to stretch over after a brave offload under intense pressure by Christiaens one metre out.
Two tries each for Marta Cantabrana and Maria Garcia eased Spain to 11th place in BC Place as they beat Ireland 28-5. Alana McInerney got on the scoresheet for the Irish.
Day Three results:
Men:
Cup Final:
Argentina 19-12 South Africa
Third-place play-off:
Spain 22-7 Fiji
Fifth-place play-off:
Great Britain 31-10 New Zealand
Seven-place play-off:
Australia 15-12 France
Cup semifinals:
Spain 0-7 Argentina
Fiji 10-12 South Africa
Ninth-place play-off:
USA 22-21 Uruguay
Eleventh-place ply-off:
Ireland 19-14 Kenya
Women:
Cup Final:
Fiji 7-41 New Zealand
Third-place play-off:
Japan 12-26 Australia
Fifth-place play-off:
Great Britain 10-19 Brazil
Seventh-place play-off:
Canada 27-10 USA
Cup semifinals:
Australia 10-29 New Zealand
Japan 7-28 Fiji
Ninth-place play-off:
France 26-12 China
Eleventh-place play-off:
Spain 28-5 Ireland
