Teen star Luan Giliomee shines as Blitzboks overpower Spain in Perth

Veteran Zain Davids scored a crucial tray that got the Blitzboks back on track in their opening 33-14 victory over Spain at the Perth Sevens on Saturday. The Springbok Sevens began their Perth campaign with a 33-14 victory over Spain on Saturday surviving a mid-match scare to secure a vital opening win in Pool A. The Blitzboks dominated the early exchanges at HBF Park.

Speedster Shilton van Wyk opened the scoring in the second minute after Tristan Leyds exploited a gap from a scrum. David Brits followed shortly after, crossing unopposed to stretch the lead to 12-0. However, Spain fought back before the break, with Jeremy Trevithick scampering through to leave the score at 12-7 at half-time.

Spain briefly silenced the Perth crowd early in the second stanza when Trevithick crossed for his second, and a stunning conversion by Juan Ramos gave the underdogs a shock 14-12 lead. With the game in the balance, a timely interception by Ryan Oosthuizen allowed Zain Davids to restore the South African lead. Zander Reynders then broke Spanish resistance with a clinical step to make it 26-14.

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The highlight of the match came from 19-year-old Luan Giliomee. Having made his competitive debut in Singapore last weekend, the curly-haired playmaker scored his first-ever SVNS series try with a sniping run to put the icing on the result. While coach Philip Snyman will be encouraged by the five-try haul, the defensive lapses that allowed Spain to take the lead will be a point of focus. The Blitzboks face a far sterner test later today, with high-stakes fixtures against Argentina 09.14am and current series leaders Fiji 12.52pm.

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