TOKYO — South Africa rallied with three tries in the second half Sunday to defeat New Zealand 24-19 and win the Tokyo Sevens rugby title. New Zealand held a 12-0 lead at the break but the South Africans erased the deficit early in the second half on tries by Seabelo Senatla and Cecil Afrika that were converted by Branco du Preez. A penalty by du Preez and a try by Cornal Hendricks completed the scoring for South Africa. Gillies Kaka, Tim Mikkelson and Ben Lam scored tries for series leader New Zealand, which holds a 32-point lead over South Africa in the standings with two rounds remaining. South Africa beat France 14-12 in the semifinals and New Zealand advanced with a 35-17 win over Australia. Last year's Tokyo Sevens winner Australia finished third, crushing France 31-7. Crusaders survive Stormers The Crusaders withstood fierce Stormers pressure at the death to claim a hard-fought 19-14 victory in front of a packed Newlands in Super 15 rugby Saturday. The Stormers were left to regret their decision not to take the points from three kickable penalties in the final 10 minutes, as they instead went for the winning try but found their path blocked by the resolute defense of the New Zealand side. The home team was also guilty of committing too many errors over the course of the match, losing six of its own lineouts, allowing the more consistent Crusaders to come away with the spoils. The difference between the two sides, who scored one try apiece, was a conversion and extra penalty by Tyler Bleyendaal, playing in place of Dan Carter. Waratahs beat W. Force Adam Ashley-Cooper scored an early second-half try and Brendan McKibbin accounted for most of the points with six penalty goals as the New South Wales Waratahs beat the Western Force 23-19 in Sydeny. The win evened the Waratahs' season record at 3-3 while the Force lost for the fifth time in six matches. — Agencies
