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Argentina and the USA enjoyed dream starts on Day One of the Las Vegas Sevens. Both sides won their two opening matches to top their respective pools. On the other hand Canada and Uruguay each lost their two matches and will not advance to the Cup Finals stages.
A pair of tries for Matías Osadczuk and three conversions from the boot of captain Gastón Revol led the Pumas past Scotland in their first match of the day. Most impressive, however, was their outstanding win over New Zealand in their second match. A late try from Luciano González Rissoni sealed the victory and all but guarantees their position as top seeds in Pool D.
Los Teros will be their opponents in the final round of the pool stage. Uruguay lost both their matches but scored three quality tries, a decent effort for a team that does not enjoy core status on the HSBC Sevens Series. Diego Ardao got a memorable score against New Zealand while brother Manuel touched down against Scotland along with Guillermo Lijtenstein.
The USA could not have asked for better results to start their home tournament as they looked in top form against both Samoa and Australia. Danny Barrett picked up a brace against the Samoans while Perry Baker and Martin Iosefo each scored twice against Australia. Only Spain stand between the Eagles and a perfect run through Pool C.
Canada were less fortunate than their fellow North Americans. A difficult start saw them fall heavily to in-form England. They showed better against World Champions South Africa, with Tevaughn Campbell picking up his second career HSBC Series try. Ultimately the Blitzbokke would hold out by one score to relegate Canada to the Trophy draw. They finish their pool stage against Wales tomorrow afternoon.
Day Two begins at 11:30am local time, 2:30pm Eastern, with a live broadcast available on ESPN3. Those in Canada can watch on the CBC Sports website and app. World Rugby will provide a stream for residents outside the Americas.
DAY ONE RESULTS
POOL A
Kenya 14 – 19 France
Fiji 38 – 0 Russia
Kenya 19 – 12 Russia
Fiji 33 – 5 France
POOL B
England 40 – 12 Canada
South Africa 26 – 21 Wales
England 33 – 12 Wales
South Africa 19 – 12 Canada
POOL C
Samoa 12 – 26 USA
Australia 24 – 0 Spain
Samoa 29 – 14 Spain
Australia 7 – 28 USA
POOL D
Scotland 19 – 21 Argentina
New Zealand 28 – 7 Uruguay
Scotland 40 – 14 Uruguay
New Zealand 19 – 26 Argentina
DAY TWO FIXTURES
Sat, Mar 3 – 11:30 PT, 14:30 ET – POOL D – Argentina vs Uruguay
Sat, Mar 3 – 11:52 PT, 14:52 ET – POOL D – New Zealand vs Scotland
Sat, Mar 3 – 12:14 PT, 15:14 ET – POOL A – France vs Russia
Sat, Mar 3 – 12:36 PT, 15:36 ET – POOL A – Fiji vs Kenya
Sat, Mar 3 – 13:04 PT, 16:04 ET – POOL C – USA vs Spain
Sat, Mar 3 – 13:26 PT, 16:26 ET – POOL C – Australia vs Samoa
Sat, Mar 3 – 13:48 PT, 16:48 ET – POOL B – Canada vs Wales
Sat, Mar 3 – 14:10 PT, 17:10 ET – POOL B – South Africa vs England
