HONG KONG - Argentina scored a last-minute try to beat the Blitzboks 19-17 in a fifth-place semifinal at the Hong Kong Sevens in Hong Kong, China, on Sunday.
After being eliminated from the main competition by the USA in the quarterfinals earlier in the day, the Blitzboks got off to the perfect start with Siviwe Soyizwapi dotting down in the 2nd minute.
Then it was the turn of Branco du Preez to score a converted try, with Santiago Fourcade breaching the South African defence to leave the scoreline at 12-5 at the break.
Kurt-Lee Arendse showed the opposition a clean set of heels to put the South Africans in a healthy 17-5 lead early in the second half.
However, the Argentinians showed great spirit with Lautauro Velez reducing the deficit with a five-pointer before Matias Osadczuk broke the South African hearts with a try in the final moments of the match.
With the scores tied at 17-all, Santiago Mare calmly slotted the conversion to send the South Americans through to a playoff for fifth place in the prestigious tournament.