RWC 7s: Quarter-finalists named

Editor

South Africa will head into the quarter-finals of the RWC Sevens as top seeds at the end of an thrilling second day at Luzhniki Stadium.

South Africa will head into the quarter-finals of the RWC Sevens in Moscow as top seeds at the end of a thrilling second day at the Luzhniki Stadium.

Paul Treu's side didn't concede a single point during their Pool B games, and will face Fiji after the Islanders ended as second best runners-up.

And, in a replay of their quarter-final in Dubai four years ago, defending champions Wales will play Sevens World Series champions New Zealand.

In Pool A it came down to Australia v France to decide who would top the table and after a magnificent fight back by the French to draw 17-17, both sides entered the quarter final stages, with France ending as best-placed runners-up.

Kenya were the stars of Pool C and topped the group after they beat Zimbabwe and Samoa on Saturday with some exciting, open rugby that could pose issues for France when they meet

New Zealand had a scare against a feisty USA side but in the end they did enough to top Pool D and get through to the Cup quarter-finals.

Wales versus Fiji was the highlight of Pool E, which saw the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens champions edge the Islanders 19-14 in a thrilling encounter which they had to win. Fiji finished in eighth and will play South Africa on Sunday.

In Pool F, England had a late scare from Argentina in their final Pool match but their defence held firm and they emerged 14-12 winners, booking their place in the Cup quarter-finals, where they'll play Australia.

Speaking after the final match in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “With just three years to go until Rugby returns to the Olympic Games in Rio, we've been reminded again today why the Game deserves to be on sport's biggest stage.

“Day two of Rugby World Cup Sevens was full of wonderful matches and now the quarter-finalists have been decided. There really are some mouth-watering match-ups, and I predict the final day of this tournament will be magnificent.”

Day 2 results:

Samoa 29-0 Philippines
Kenya 31-5 Zimbabwe
New Zealand 26-7 Georgia
USA 14-15 Canada
Fiji 47-0 Uruguay
Wales 28-19 Tonga
Argentina 10-17 Portugal
England 38-7 Hong Kong
Australia 40-7 Tunisia
France 21-17 Spain
South Africa 33-0 Japan
Scotland 21-5 Russia
Zimbabwe 19-7 Philippines
Canada 26-19 Georgia
Tonga 36-0 Uruguay
Portugal 14-17 Hong Kong
Spain 24-26 Tunisia
Samoa 12-17 Kenya
New Zealand 26-19 USA
Fiji 14-19 Wales
England 14-12 Argentina
Australia 17-17 France
South Africa 41-0 Scotland
Russia 12-12 Japan

Day 3 fixtures:

30 Jun 2013 – 09:30 Tunisia v Uruguay – Bowl QF
30 Jun 2013 – 09:52 Russia v Spain – Bowl QF
30 Jun 2013 – 10:14 Hong Kong v Georgia – Bowl QF
30 Jun 2013 – 10:36 Japan v Philippines – Bowl QF

30 Jun 2013 – 10:58 Samoa v Zimbabwe – Plate QF
30 Jun 2013 – 11:20 Argentina v USA – Plate QF
30 Jun 2013 – 11:42 Scotland v Portugal – Plate QF
30 Jun 2013 – 12:04 Canada v Tonga – Plate QF

30 Jun 2013 – 13:00 South Africa v Fiji – Quarter-Finals
30 Jun 2013 – 13:22 New Zealand v Wales – Quarter-Finals
30 Jun 2013 – 13:44 England v Australia – Quarter-Finals
30 Jun 2013 – 14:06 Kenya v France – Quarter-Finals