Samoa will face a strong South Africa in the men’s Cup quarter-final in Dubai in what has been a tournament full of surprises.

Samoa beat Japan 38-17 in their first pool match and then went to dominate Canada 33-5 in their second match. However, the team went down 14-12 to the USA in their final pool match and finished as runners-up.

Samoa will face the Blitzboks at 8.34pm on Saturday December 3.

Here is a round-up of all pools and who has made it through.

BLITZBOKS EDGE DRAWN-OUT BATTLE

South Africa, the dominant force in Dubai in recent years, booked their passage through the quarters with a nail-biting 19-12 victory in the final match of the day over previously unbeaten Australia. That win saw the Blitzboks top Pool A by a point from Australia, who finished level in on six points along with Great Britain but with a two-point differential going in their favour.

It was an impressive turnaround from South Africa who had slipped to a 14-5 defeat to Great Britain in their opening game before beating regional rivals Kenya, 27-12. Australia had scored 40 points or more in each of their past two Series matches so to be held 19-19 went completely against the formbook. However, the reigning World Series champions showed some of the quality that took them to last season’s title in seeing off battling Great Britain, 28-19.

Even so, Great Britain were right in contention for a place in the quarter-finals, but a 14-14 draw with Kenya in their final game left the door ajar for their pool rivals to take advantage.

FIJI FALL JUST SHORT

Joseva Talacolo starred for Fiji on day one but his match-winning try against Argentina in a thrilling Pool B finale was still not enough to save Ben Gollings’ side from another early elimination in the desert.

Having beaten Uruguay 52-0 but then suffered a 24-7 defeat to New Zealand in their second match, Fiji needed to beat Los Pumas Sevens by 10 points to progress, but they fell five points short of their target, winning 17-12. Fiji have now failed to qualify for the quarter-finals in three of the last four Dubai tournaments.

Instead, it is Argentina and New Zealand who go through by the narrowest of margins. They, too, easily swept aside Uruguay, and it was the All Black Sevens’ result against Fiji in a re-run of the final of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 that ultimately proved crucial. The biggest match of the day brought together two teams normally accustomed to facing each other in Cup finals, and All Blacks Sevens captain Sam Dickson described the match-up as “do-or-die”.

IRISH RELIEF AFTER FRANCE SETBACK

France, bronze medallists in Hong Kong in November, impressed on day one with a clean sweep of wins. First, they edged past Uganda, 10-7, before enjoying a more comfortable 24-10 win against Spain. That left Ireland standing in their way, with the Irish also unbeaten after following up their draw with Spain with a 35-13 win over a Ugandan side playing in Dubai for the first time in five years.

The decisive game between France and Ireland always promised to be tight and there was nothing in it at half-time after Bryan Mollen cancelled out an earlier score from Aaron Grandidier.  But Rayan Rebbadj’s 10th-minute try won the game for France and ensured they finished on top of the table. Ireland made it through as well due to the plus-four points differential between themselves and third-place Spain.

Reflecting on what was a very finish, Ireland’s Hugo Lennox said: “They are the times you want to be on the pitch rather than watching from the sidelines. Yeah, we didn’t get the win but it is great to be through to the quarters tomorrow with everything to play for. There is lots to work on.”

EAGLES SOAR IN POOL D

USA produced a masterclass in game management in their final Pool D game against fellow unbeaten side Samoa. The Men’s Eagles had taken an early lead through Lucas Lacamp but Samoa responded through Owen Niue and Vaovasa Afa Sua to lead at half-time.

The second half belonged to Mike Friday’s men, however, with Samoa conceding six straight penalties as they struggled to get their hands on the ball. In the end, Kevon Williams’ 10th-minute try and Steve Tomasin’s conversion were enough to see the USA to a 14-12 victory.

Earlier on, the USA had beaten Canada 19-14 and Japan 43-7, thanks to tries from seven different players. Samoa had looked equally impressive in defeating Japan 38-17 and Canada 33-5, Vaa Apelu Maliko capping a fine opening day for him personally with a brace of tries in the latter match.