Rugby
Norton Nabs Second DHL Impact Player in Cape Town
It’s been an amazing two weeks for England's Dan Norton, who produced some stunning stats at the second round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Cape Town to win his second DHL Impact Player Award.
Norton was an integral part of Simon Amor's Cup-winning side, who beat South Africa 19-17 on day two to win their first tournament since Tokyo in 2015. While the team performance highlighted a side capable of contesting for the 2016-17 series title, it was Norton's individual performances that caught the eye.
The 28-year-old racked up 19 tackles, 8 breaks, 25 carries and 5 offloads, giving him a whopping overall total of 57 points.
On day one the England winger became the third highest try scorer of all time when he surpassed Ben Gollings' record of 220 tries, eventually ending up on 225 overall at the end of the tournament, just five behind Argentina head coach Santiago Gomez Cora.
It was a pretty surreal match against South Africa.
Dan Norton, England Sevens Winger
"It was a pretty surreal match against South Africa," he said. "Waiting for that last kick was pretty nerve wracking but overall it was an amazing tournament. We really pushed on from day one and stuck true to our values of "team first" which helped us go all the way."I've really stuck at my tackling and the boys around me in the side have helped give me the confidence to progress in my game. We're looking forward to Wellington next January but first we need to reboot and see where we are at by the end of Christmas."
No longer is he just the finisher, he's also a try saver.
Rob Vickerman, on being at the final in Cape Town
Norton was Norton not only won both the DHL Impact Player in Dubai and Cape Town, he also now leads the points table overall with 102, ahead of USA's Perry Baker and Kenya's Billy Odhiambo who are both in second place with 86 points.
English heartbreakers
England upset the South African party in Cape Town, edging their hosts by two points in a thrilling final and winning their first Cup since Tokyo 2015. Coach Simon Amor’s side have now closed the gap on series leaders South Africa, finishing the first two rounds on 39, two behind South Africa but ahead of Fiji (32), Scotland and New Zealand (both 27).
I’ve really stuck at my tackling and the boys around me in the side have helped give me the confidence to progress in my game.
Dan Norton
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Learn more about the DHL 2016-17 Impact Player Award
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