Minnows Uruguay on Friday stunned rugby sevens powerhouses Fiji and New Zealand in two astonishing back-to-back upsets on a remarkable opening day of the World Sevens Series’ Perth leg.
The South American team launched an epic comeback to beat Olympic silver medalists Fiji 24-17 and followed that with an astonishing 17-12 win over the All Blacks.
Fiji, who had beaten Uruguay 70-7 in Cape Town last month, seemed poised for a dominant win when they took a 17-0 lead before Uruguay pulled off an astounding comeback with Pedro Hoblog’s late try sealing a historic win.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“It’s a huge win for us,” Uruguay captain Diego Ardao said. “Before getting on the pitch, we didn’t think about Fiji. We thought about ourselves. It’s New Zealand next, so we need to do the same and go for it.”
And go for it they did, shocking the 14-time champions New Zealand and earning their first-ever sevens win over the All Blacks.
Uruguay outlasted New Zealand in a tense battle in the second half, dominating possession and capitalizing on Kiwi errors with Juan Manuel Tafernaberry slotting a penalty from close range in the 15th minute to complete a five-point win.
However, Uruguay failed to complete a Pool C sweep against Kenya yesterday, losing 19-5.
The finals are today.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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