The South African side dominated the contest from start to finish on their way to recording a thumping 115-05 victory at the Makerere University in Kampala.

The tournament began as scheduled despite concerns over the readiness of the newly-constructed venue.

Organisers claimed in the build-up to the event that they were happy for the competition to go ahead in an incomplete facility and without some of the original components planned in the initial design.

The drubbing at the hands of the defending champions, who are fielding an entirely different team to the one which claimed the world title in 2016, was the first of two defeats for the US on a difficult day for the American side.

The US were also comfortably beaten 102-16 by hosts Uganda.

Elsewhere, Singapore edged Kenya 39-38 in a thrilling contest, while Zimbabwe ousted Sri Lanka 44-31.

The tournament is due to continue tomorrow with the next set of matches.