Dragons fire in Dubai

Dragons fire in Dubai

7 Mar 2009

Wales edged Argentina 19-12 in the final of the World Cup Sevens on Saturday.

The Dragons entered the tournament as 80-1 outsiders, but beat New Zealand and Samoa on their way to claiming the Melrose Cup.

Richie Pugh opened the scoring for Wales in the final, before Martin Rodriguez scored for Argentina and then slotted the difficult conversion.

The Pumas should have gone further ahead a minute later but knocked on with the tryline in sight. Tal Selley then scored Wales’ second try to give them a 12-7 lead, with Argentina blowing another opportunity just before half-time.

The second half saw plenty of aimless kicking, before Gonzalo Camacho went over in the right-hand corner to level the scores. But Aled Thomas’s try with three minutes to go sealed the win for Wales.

Earlier in the day, a late two-try surge secured Argentina a 14-12 victory over South Africa.

The Boks struck early through a try by captain Mpho Mbiyozo, and with the Pumas giving away numerous penalties, the South Africans were firmly in control. The referee eventually yellow-carded one of the Argentinians at a crucial period before half-time.

The Boks failed to make their one-man advantage tell with Mbiyozo receiving his marching orders right before the break. Fortunately for South Africa, the Pumas also failed to cash in during Mbiyozo’s absence.

Robert Ebersohn won the race to a loose ball and offloaded smartly to Rayno Benjamin. With the conversion, the Boks looked to be out of sight at 12-0.

Argentina clawed one back and an incredible conversion from a difficult angle narrowed the deficit. With two minutes to play, they exploited an overlap and rounded the goal posts. One final South African attack was culled when Paul Delport spilled the ball forward.

By Jon Cardinelli & Simon Borchardt

Cup results:
Quarter-finals
Wales 15 New Zealand 14
Samoa 31 England 26
Argentina 14 South Africa 12
Kenya 26 Fiji 7
Semi-finals
Wales 19 Samoa 12
Argentina 12 Kenya 0
Final
Wales 19 Argentina 12

* Australia edged New Zealand 15-10 in the first-ever Women’s World Cup Sevens final, after beating South Africa 19-10 in the semi-finals.


19 Comments

  • 1.BaasVleis: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 10:02 am

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HERE B DRAGONS!!!!!!!I AM BACK!!!!!!

  • 2.church - like chch but pronounceable: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 10:45 am

    who were you

  • 3.church - like chch but pronounceable: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 10:50 am

    NZ up soon

  • 4.church - like chch but pronounceable: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 11:35 am

    South Africa 15 – 7 Spain
    but Keo does not care

    The home of South African rugby indeed

  • 5.TheTackler: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 12:50 pm

    “World Champions” — a title earned in the one tournament only — won’t be NZ or SA or England or Fiji. The big fish of sevens rugby.

    It will be a sevens minnow — Wales or Samoa or Argentina or Kenya!

    Spreading the joy? Or just a mockery?

  • 6.groenie: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 12:51 pm

    No surprises here this was a **** sevens team why did Paul not pick a player like Stefan Basson who wanted to play and made himself available for the sevens!
    Cut your nose to spite your face, it is know that Paul True does not like Stefan Basson, well have fun playing for the Plate…

  • 7.jonnow: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 12:52 pm

    useless bastid 7′s team……what’s with the aimless passing across the field and going backwards all the time.

    that was a disgrace.

    not happy

  • 8.pepinillo: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 13:03 pm

    SA was often penalised in the scrum and specially the last one which ended to the puma try….I just think the referee never saw a scrum before. What a mess.

  • 9.Loosehead: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 13:08 pm

    Chokers?

  • 10.BaasVleis: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 13:16 pm

    Church,i was a reglar long b4 u’r time I think,keo may remember me,was when chris was still webmaster,and keo even got some biltong from me.was the year of the 75-14 massacre

  • 11.church - like chch but pronounceable: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 13:20 pm

    #10 BaasVleis:

    Same nik?

  • 12.cane: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 13:21 pm

    #9 Loosehead:

    Now now Loosey, that one word set off WW3 on the other thread.

  • 13.cane: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 13:23 pm

    #1 BaasVleis:

    Welcome back Baas………………..I think. 8)

  • 14.BaasVleis: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 13:24 pm

    jip,still the same

  • 15.kwaggies: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 13:50 pm

    how about 10 men rugga?

  • 16.church - like chch but pronounceable: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 14:11 pm

    #15 kwaggies:

    Manilla tens

  • 17.Twig: Reply to this comment
    7 Mar 2009, 23:28 pm

    #5 TheTackler: Again, wankpot, the team that wins earns the title of ‘Champions’.

    Not their fault your lot are useless.

  • 18.TheTackler: Reply to this comment
    8 Mar 2009, 02:25 am

    #17 Twig: It’s like declaring the girl with the huge, hairy wart on the end of her nose as the winner of the Miss World contest. Everyone knows she’s really not the loveliest girl in the world but, hey, she won the contest.

  • 19.SjamBok: Reply to this comment
    8 Mar 2009, 05:28 am

    #18 TheTackler: No, its like the slightly uglier girl calling the wart girl ugly – perhaps it looks even uglier?

Keo.co.za has always promoted uncensored views, but has never tolerated racist or crass outbursts. Come on guys and girls. If you can't moderate yourselves or each other then I am going to be forced to regulate the posts and enforce a registration process for comments. The choice is yours.

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