Team USA couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2022 HSBC Los Angeles Sevens.
The Eagles entered the tournament in Pool B alongside South Africa, New Zealand and Canada, arguably the “Pool of Death” amongst the four groups.
The former two have two of the best rugby sevens programs of all-time, and South Africa, specifically, came into the two-day competition ranked first in the series standings.
USA played South Africa in the opening game of the tournament and pulled off a 21-7 upset win to start on the right foot. The second game against New Zealand didn’t go the Eagles’ way, as the All Blacks marched to a comfortable 33-12 win.
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South Africa, on the other hand, narrowly defeated Canada 22-17 to keep its hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals alive, so it all came down to the third and final pool match.
The Eagles came away with a 26-17 win against Canada, while New Zealand staved off a late South Africa surge to win 17-14. The results mean South Africa cannot compete in the knockout stage games, putting its spot as the potential 2021-22 Sevens Series winners in serious jeopardy. A first-place finish would’ve guaranteed the title for the Springboks, but it’s not looking likely at the moment.
Since USA finished second in Pool B, it will play Fiji of Pool C in its quarterfinal matchup on Sunday at 10:35 a.m. PT.
