Christie Grobbelaar scored a first-half brace as the Blitzboks progressed to the semi-finals of the Sydney Sevens by outplaying a determined Ireland in the quarter-finals this morning.

A quickfire double from Grobbelaar, the first of his tries coming in the opening 20 seconds, along with an excellent finish from Shilton van Wyk put the Springboks into a commanding 19-7 lead at half-time.

Ireland narrowed the deficit to seven points in the second half when Andrew Smith scored in the corner and continued to apply pressure for a potential leveler.

However, a sensational solo try from youngster Jaiden Baron capped off a 26-12 victory for South Africa, who will be without captain Siviwe Soyizwapi for the rest of the tournament due to a shoulder injury.

The Blitzboks will take on old rivals Fiji in the second cup semi-final at 07:28 (SA time) tomorrow morning.