Olympic Sevens, Men - Day Three
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It was another seismic and record-breaking day for Sevens at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 as a single-day attendance record of more than 130,000 fans was set at a packed Stade de France across two competition sessions.
South Africa, France, Fiji and Australia advanced to Saturday's semifinals.
Hosts France will play South Africa in the last four, with Fiji and Australia going head-to-head.
* Below we bring you all the drama from Day Three at the iconic Stade de France.
Saturday, July 17
Final - France 28 - 7 Fiji
A home crowd for the French side, contesting the gold medal against a Fijian side that came into the match undefeated in the Olympics. The Oceanic side silenced French portion of t he crowd with the first try, showing just how lethal they can be when focused. A physical dance ensued between the two sides, with Fiji being the first to misstep, conceding a try and thus being placed back on level terms. Another shift in tempo allowed France the space to shoot over once more giving them the lead. The crowd ecstatic as they spotted a first-place finish just a bit further down the line. The second half saw France build momentum that smothered the Fijian team with a fervour that could only be replicated when there's everything to play for. The Fijians were held captive in their half with little respite, until the whistle finally shook France from their trance as the focused faces changed to unmistakable smiles of triumph. France secured their gold medal finish.
Bronze medal play-off - South Africa 26 - 19 Australia
A fine showing from both sides, bringing all they could muster to put on a performance worthy of a podium finish. Australia bagged the first try four minutes into the game, looking like they might take a control of the half with their incessant pushing along the South African flanks. The Blitzboks were well-prepared and handled the threats, managing to secure an unconverted try just before the break. They winds shifted in favour of the South African after an Australian red card two minutes into the second half. SA fired their shots and crossed the line twice to what seemed to be certain victory with a man up, but Australia showed incredible resilience to clawed back two tries of their own, leveling things out at 19 a-piece. The South Africans dug deep to pull one final rabbit out of their hat and seal the game after the hooter, securing their bronze medals.
Semifinals
South Africa 5 - 19 France
A slow, and tentative start by both sides, knowing what's a stake. neither side dared ventured to far out of formation or risk anything that didn't seem immediately beneficial to their position or territory. The result was neither side securing any points in the first half. The second half saw them take off the gloves and start swinging. After a bit more exploration with runs and passes from both teams, South Africa managed to come away with a dashing run towards the corner that saw them go over for the first try. France, tasting their own blood, showed the Blitzboks what they could do with a retaliatory try plus the conversion, giving them a 2-point lead. That gave them the boost they needed, going over twice more to seal the deal and pave their way to the final
Fiji 31 - 7 Australia
A clash of horns between these two sides, doing well to test the other and stretch the opposing defence as they attempted to outplay the other. Fiji holding steadfast onto their counterattack trigger, but perhaps for too long as Australia managed to make it over after some neatly put-together team passes. They made it to the half time break with a one try on the board, with Fiji pulling one back before the whistle as well. That would be the only try Australia would get. Fiji turned on the heat and started off a series of tries, taking firm control of the game in the second half. They ended their aggressive onslaught with 31 points on the board, sending them through to the finals
Fifth-place final
New Zealand 17 - 7 Ireland
A physical battle ensued between these two sides, opting for a direct approach to the opposition sticks. New Zealand didn't shy away from the flank, however, stretching the Irish when the opportunity presented itself. New Zealand had a lapse at the end of the half, conceding try to give the Irish a chance to pull ahead before the break. New Zealand started the second half with a bang, putting one down seconds into play and then another to get a decent lead over the Irish. Ireland were unable to get the upper hand and succumbed to the constant aggressive pressure from the Kiwis.
Fifth-place semifinal
New Zealand 17 - 12 Argentina
A tightly contested match to kick off Day 3 here at the Olympics. New Zealand drew first blood a couple of minutes into the game, trying to make quick work of the Argentine players. They secured a converted try but their lead was short-lived, with the Argentinians leveling it out a couple of minutes after. They went into the break all squared, which was a fair summary of the game thus far after back and forth breaks from both sides. The second half continued in the same way, with both teams bagging one try. With nothing between them at the final whistle they went into extra time. Another ferocious battle ensued but KnewStubb made it over t he line with the help of his team to give NZ the win.
Ireland 17 - 14 United States
A blistering start to the fixture by Ireland winded the Americans, after they made it over in the first minute of play. Surprisingly, the start would not steer them into clear dominance, but rather rattled the Americans into shape as they battled the Irish going back and forth throughout the half. The Eagles made good on their regained concentration and pulled one back before the half time whistle, leveling things out. They came out swinging in the second half but the Irish took it on the chin, striking back with a quickfire double to steal the lead with seconds left on the clock. Well-fought contest between the teams.
Seventh-place play-off
Argentina 19 - 0 United States
The Seventh-place play-off started out quite sedate, with both teams probing here and there to test for any chinks in the opposition armour. USA faltered a few minutes into the first half after a defensive blunder got them a yellow card. Argentina used the opportunity to strike twice, securing two tries before half time. The second half offered a chance for the Eagles to rehash their position but Argentina had other plans, controlling the game for most of the second half and going over the try for a third time to seal the fate of their North American rivals. A solid performance from the South Americans, all in all.
Ninth-place play-off
Samoa 5 - 10 Kenya
A slow game between these two sides, with both sets of players matching each other rather well. Play stayed within the respective 22s for much of the game, with occasional shoots forward. Kenya were the first to go over and get their name on the board with an unconverted try. They stayed in the lead throughout the first half, and put another down early in the second. Samoa, having felt choked out for much of the game, made it over the line midway through the second seven bring the lead down to 5 points. They were unable to make good on their momentum, and were kept at bay taking a slow and drawn out loss.
Eleventh-place play-off
Japan 10 - 21 Uruguay
Japan put on the backfoot immediately after kickoff with a blistering start to the game by Uruguay, scoring in the opening seconds. They set the tone for the game and continued to exert themselves on the Japanese team, bagging a further two tries and creating a comfortable lead heading into the break. Japan did manage to pull one back but faced heavy aggressive tactics from their a opponents. Uruguay would be held back by the Japanese in the second half, but they weren't able to make it over the line to do good with their defensive efforts. Uruguay saw the game to its close and took the game thanks to their riveting start .