A trio of superb kicks into space saw the Blitzboks score three first half tries and put the pressure on Chile early.

First, a deft grubber kick by Selvyn Davids incredibly collected with one-hand by Angelo Davids saw the Springbok Sevens take a 5-0 lead within two minutes.

Seconds later Ronald Brown put through a cross kick which was well pouched and finished by Sako Makata. Brown missed both conversions.

Selvyn Davids of South Africa during the round of 16 match between South Africa and Chile on day 1 of the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 at DHL Stadium on 9 September 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

A minute later Muller du Plessis took a page out of Brown’s book and put through an identical cross kick, from the same spot on the field for Christie Grobbelaar, who finished excellently.

Brown slotted the conversion to put the Blitzboks 17-0 up.

Chile fought back before halftime through Joaquin Huici who made the score look respectable at 17-5 despite being under the pump for six of the seven first half minutes.

The Blitzboks picked up where they left off in the second stanza with an opportunistic try by playmaker Brown.

Cecil Afrika strode on the field for the Springboks Sevens shortly after and received a warm applause by the Cape Town crowd in what was his first appearance in the green and gold in two years.

A few moments later Mfundo Ndhlovu jinked his way past one defender and showed a clean pair of heels down the right touchline to take the Bok Sevens to an unassailable 27-5 lead.

Captain Siviwe Soyizwapi entered the fray late and played a beautifully timed wide pass to Davids to score his second of the night and put the cherry on top of an excellent team performance for the Blitzboks.

Sakoyisa Makata of South Africa during the round of 16 match between South Africa and Chile on day 1 of the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 at DHL Stadium on 9 September 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

The 32-0 victory means South Africa will now take on Ireland in the quarterfinals at 22:30 on Saturday.

Round of 16

Earlier in the day Ireland men upset neighbours England 17-5 in their round of 16 clash to knock the Brits out of contention for the Rugby World Cup Sevens trophy.

There were comfortable wins for New Zealand and Samoa who cruised past Scotland and USA respectively to book their place in tomorrow’s quarter-finals.

Meanwhile Australia ran in five unanswered, converted tries against Uruguay to secure their spot in the final eight.

While France edged Canada in a thrilling 19-12 clash in a match that could have gone either way.

Imbokodo slip

 Sloppy handling and unforced errors were Imbokodo’s downfall as France capitalised on the mistakes of the home side to beat them 29-0.

 The Springbok women’s Sevens side had no answers for the French flair from the get-go as the World Series runners-up showed their championship credentials. 

French flyer Lou Noel put Imbokodo on the backfoot early with an excellently finished five pointer in the corner. 

Sustained pressure inside French territory was not enough as the Springbok Sevens women team failed to convert their opportunities.

Two quick tries before the halftime hooter by Camille Grassineau and Chloe Pelle ensured the French went into halftime 19-0 up.

Lou Noel of France and Nadine Roos of South Africa during the round of 16 match between South Africa and France on day 1 of the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 at DHL Stadium on 9 September 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

 France continued to feed off the Bok women’s mistakes early in the second half as Chloe Pelle went over again to extend their lead to 24 points. 

Seraphine Okemba sealed the victory for the French with a final touchdown in the left corner to clinch a 29-0 victory. 

Earlier in the day Sevens World Series champions Australia opened their RWC account with a thumping 48-0 victory over Madagascar in their round of 16 clash. 

Lou Noel of France and Mathrin Simmers, captain of South Africa during the round of 16 match between South Africa and France on day 1 of the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 at DHL Stadium on 9 September 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

There were also comfortable wins for New Zealand, Canada, USA and Fiji while Ireland were made to sweat in their 24-12 victory over Brazil.

England meanwhile, donned with black armbands to pay respect to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, beat Spain 29-5 to advance to the quarter-finals. DM

Championship quarter-final clashes men:

New Zealand vs Argentina

France vs Australia

Samoa vs Fiji

South Africa vs Ireland

Championship quarter-final clashes women:

Australia vs England

New Zealand vs Ireland

France vs Fiji

USA vs Canada