Olympic Sevens, Men - Day One

LIVE BLOGGING: Join us as we bring you updates from the Sevens tournament at the Paris Olympics.

The men’s competition will take place on July 24, 25 and 27, when the first team sport gold medal of the Games will be awarded to the Sevens champions.

The equally highly anticipated women’s tournament follows from July 28 to 30.

All the action will take place at the iconic Stade de France.

Follow all the Day One drama below

Wednesday, July 24

Australia 21-14 Samoa

In the opening match from Pool B we saw one of the tournament favourites, Australia and Olympic debutants Samoa squaring off in a frantic opening few minutes with Samoa getting the first points through Motu Opetai off a long ball which he intercepted to take a 7-0 lead which Scanlan converted.

Australia were loose in the first half and could have conceded more points had it not been for their scrambling defence. Samoa’s defence and physicality kept Australia scoreless until after the half-time hooter when Samoa butchered a quickly taken penalty and Henry Hutchinson dotted down to level matters at half-time which Roache converted. The second half started with Roache gifting Samoa an attacking opportunity off the scrum as he kicked the restart out on the full. Scanlan made a good break to get Samoa on the front foot but Australia recovered well defensively to drive Samoa back again and Dowling winning a penalty at the breakdown to get possession back for Australia. Australia opted for the scrum and attacked to the left and earned another penalty that was taken quickly which saw Lawson beating Niulevaea down the touchline to score a converted try – taking the lead for the first time.

Samoa had a lineout on halfway but Australia disrupted it, after which a comedy of errors followed and possession ended up with Australia who gave the ball air which saw Patterson set up Hutchinson to score the match-winner with a minute to go. Samoa kept fighting back after the final-hooter sounded when they attacked from their 22 as Falaniko had the last say to narrow the points-difference which could have an impact on the rest of the tournament.

Argentina 31-12 Kenya

Another tournament favourite and HSBC SVNS Series champions Argentina started proceedings as Kenya tried to play from their own 22 and got rewarded with a penalty at the breakdown. Kenya had the most possession for the opening three minutes due to ill-discipline by Argentina.
Kenya opted for an attacking scrum after a penalty and played it wide as Ojwang drew two defenders and went through them for the opening try. Argentina did well to fight back soon after and had a penalty five metres from the Kenya line off which they opted to scrum – they went to the left as Fraga off a long pass went in for an unconverted try to take it to half-time.

In the second-half it was Argentina who were quickly out of the blocks – attacking from deep which saw Fraga get his brace after his score just before the half ended to take the lead. Argentina reclaimed the restart but then lost the ball and paid for it when Kenya counter-attacked and Ojwang making a good run on the wing and getting his pass away to Wekesa to dot down and level matters.

Kenya were on the attack but a poorly executed kick gifted possession back which Argentina used to full effect with Elizalde going in for the score off an assist by Gonzalez. The match was stopped to check potential foul play and there was deemed to be none – but Kenya had a penalty for offside which saw them opt for a scrum just past their own 10-metre line. Kenya attacked but a strong counter ruck saw Argentina get possession back and Gonzalez running it in to seal victory. They weren’t done yet as Argentina had one more attacking scrum after an error by Kenya which saw Moneta go in for a try that could help with points-difference.

France 12-12 United States

Pool C saw hosts France claim early possession off the kick-off and having the USA defence scrambling which saw Perry Baker knock on a pass inside his own 22. Dupont pulled the strings but his final pass just couldn’t find Joseph as the ball went over his head and into touch. A forward pass from the USA gave France another opportunity off the scrum and it paid off when Jordan Sepho got a pass from Nkanang to dot down.

Sepho almost got a double after Dupont set up an attack but good scrambling defence saved the moment for the USA and they got a penalty to get some territorial relief. Cummings took the lineout down which set up Lacamp to run it in cleanly for the try to level matters. France had one more attacking opportunity after the half-time siren and the USA counter-rucked and got the penalty which they tapped and kicked to touch for a 7-5 half-time lead.

Dupont showed his class early in the second-half when he put his team on the front foot with Zeghdar setting up Rebbadjh for the score.Rebbadjh almost got a double but couldn’t round off what seemed like a gift score.France had a scrum off a USA error and opted to play from deep but a strong counter-ruck saw Baker scoop it up and set Tupuola to level matters. Things went back and forth as Baker had an opportunity then had the ball turned over and then a knock on by France saw the USA have a scrum inside their own half but USA opted to take the draw with Tupuola kicking it to touch.

Fiji 40-12 Uruguay

Olympic defending champions Fiji got on the board through Nasova off a pass by Mocenacagi in the first minute. Uruguay had a lineout on Fiji’s 22 and set their attack but ended up going backwards before regrouping and Gonzales running in and dotting down to get Uruguay back on level terms before Lijtenstein converted to take the lead.
Fiji struck back soon after when Loganimasi struck back off a simple attacking play.
Uruguay knocked on the restart and on a switch play Nasova set up Mocenacagi to return the earlier favour and extend Fiji’s lead.
Both sides had attacking opportunities after the siren sounded but the knock on saw the whistle blow for half-time.

Off the restart – Nacuqu showed a great individual effort to beat three Uruguayan defenders and dot down first in the second-half.
Uruguay scored an outrageous try off a cross kick which Facciolo gathered and flicked inside which was kicked ahead by Basso who regathered and scored for a converted try.
Fiji struck back almost immediately after Ravatuamanda sucked in the Uruguay defence and Teba ran in clean under the posts through the scrambling defence for the try.
Fiji had one last scrum just before the hooter sounded and they went wide and Rasaku broke the line and went over but gave the ball to Ravatuamanda to dot down which saw the match come to a close.

Ireland 10-5 South Africa

Ireland had the first attacking set-piece after Grobbelaar conceded a penalty and Ireland set a lineout on South Africa’s 10 metre line. Ireland attacked and did most of the play with South Africa having to defend and Kennedy opted for the kick but it went dead as South Africa had a scrum on their own 10 metre line – but Davids knocked it on as he took his eye off the ball for a moment. Ireland attacked off the scrum with Ward getting through defenders before the long pass to Conroy saw him dot down which was checked by the TMO but he knocked it on and South Africa had a 5-metre defensive scrum with just over a minute to go in the first stanza. Leyds got the ball away and cleared down field as Ireland attacked again with Ward getting his offload away to Conroy who eventually got his score after the siren. The drama wasn’t over as the TMO cited a tackle by Leyds which was deemed as a penalty only and play went on which had no effect on the team.

South Africa had a lineout off a penalty outside Ireland’s 22 but Ireland won the penalty as Van Wyk got isolated off a crash ball. Oosthuizen stole Ireland’s lineout but South Africa couldn’t make it count and Williams conceded a penalty inside Ireland’s 22 to get Ireland territorial relief. Kennedy broke the line with Visser scrambling back to stop him but Ireland kept possession before play was stopped and checked which saw Oosthuizen yellow carded with just over three minutes to go.Ireland made the one player advantage count almost immediately when Kennedy ran in to double the lead. South Africa came back with a try by Selvyn Davids after running from deep with great touches by the old heads such as Speckman and Soyiswapi. South Africa didn’t get the required 10 metres which saw Ireland get the win in a tightly contested clash.

New Zealand 40-12 Japan

New Zealand from the kick-off saw McGarvey-black get his side on the front foot and flicking it inside as they recycled the ball and got a try within 30 seconds through Rokolisoa. Japan struck back with Kerevi kicking it ahead and Tsuoka dotting down.It was a matter of seconds before a solo effort by Fineanganofo ran down the touchline and going in to take the lead back. Japan showed great attacking fight with Kerevi pulling the strings but New Zealand’s fight at the breakdown broke it down and opened op the space for Fineanganofo to get his brace.Japan conceded possession after the siren sounded and Curry got his pass away to McGarvey-Black who dotted down for a 26-7 half-time lead.

The second-half saw New Zealand claim the restart ball and immediately starting to attack as Rokolisoa broke the line and got another try in the bag.Both sides had opportunities to get on the scoreboard but errors resulted in a couple of scrums taking valuable time off the clock. New Zealand attacked from deep inside their own half and McGarvey-Black off a pass by Rush just stepped his opponent and ran in for another try. Japan almost struck back but McGarvey-Black made the try-saving tackle and got the penalty at the breakdown. New Zealand had an opportunity to close the match down but continued to play and it backfired as Ishida gathered the ball from a kick ahead to have the final say.

Australia 21 – 7 Kenya

The second round got off to some enterprising play between the bright and confident Australians against the cool, calm and collected Kenyans. Australia started the match clinically with a well-weighted kick-off that saw them get the turnover and the first try of the match shortly after that with Roache drawing the last defender out wide and getting the pass to Turner. Kenya would look to score second making haste whenever awarded the penalty with their try coming from Tony from a quick tap meters away from the Australian try-line.

A handling error from Longbottom would give the Kenyans hope to take the lead in the match as they continued to fire shots inside the Australian 22m. A crucial turnover would give Australia their second try running the ball a good 80m with Roache involved again to stab the kick downfield for Lawson to regather possession and score the try.

The second half would continue to go the way of the Australians as Kenya put on a brave performance particularly on attack but they just didn’t have the defensive pace on the wing to stop the speedster, Toole who gassed all defenders out wide to score Australia’s third try to seal the victory.

Argentina 28 – 12 Samoa

It was always going to be a physical contest between these teams but this new generation of Los Pumas players continued on from their impressive form to dismantle this once mighty Samoan outfit. The Argentineans scored their first try of the match from a loose pass that was well-controlled by some slick football skills courtesy of Osadczuk. Samoa came close to scoring in the first half with a runaway try that was met by some ‘never say die’ defense from Argentina to keep the Samoans out. Argentina would then score their second try through Graziano who stretched the legs with a 50m sprint to the line.

The first half ended with a third try for Los Pumas thanks to some audacious stepping from Pellandini who could not be touched on his way to score. Samoa had their work cut-out for them going into the second half but a second try from Osadczuk did not do them any favours. Samoa’s attack would eventually bear fruits with Apelo Maliku running a good line to split the defense and get his team on the scoreboard. Samoa would get a second try in the game after a clumsy passage of play with knocking the ball over the try-line but would redeem themselves with a dominant scrum for Leitufia to stroll in for the try. It would be too little too late as Argentina ensured their victory with double the amount of tries to topple their opposition.

France 19 – 12 Uruguay

All eyes were on the hosting nation having the best rugby player in the world at their disposal to make light work against their South American counterparts. As expected the French were off to a strong start scoring their first try down the touchline through Zeghdar who refused to be tackled out of play to score in the corner. Surprisingly it was Uruguay who went into the break with the lead from a Facciolo crash ball that gave Uruguay the lead by two points.

France would regain the lead by none of other than the talismanic Antoine du Pont who showed great speed and strength to race to the line breaking a couple tackles along the way. It would not be the last of Uruguay as they struck back to score straight after the restart through Gonzalez with everything to play for with minutes left on the clock. France would dig deep to hold on and ensure victory but not before they were handed a yellow card to make things interesting. The momentum of the game would eventually sway towards the home team as Joseph displayed his elusive attacking prowess to take the gap and run in the try to finally settle the nerves for France who come away with the win against a gutsy Uruguay team.

Fiji 38 – 12 United States

An action-packed game was had between these two prolific teams. The defending gold medalists didn’t take long get out of first gear having let in an early try for the USA who spread the ball from side to side for Bizer to score the first try of the game. This would be the catalyst to the Fijian fire as they grabbed the game by the horns from there running in a handful of classic Fijian tries displaying outrageous handling and linking between players that created a tempo that was too much for the USA to contend with.

The second half would continue to see the Fijian flair with any of their players being one step away from scoring. Perry Baker would get the USA their second try of the match but everybody watching this game knew it was done and dusted well before then as the confidence continued to ooze from Fiji with six of their players getting over the line for a comfortable victory over a country that takes winning Olympic gold medals very seriously.

Ireland 40 – 5 Japan

The Irish started and ended this game like a house on fire with the Japanese never looking like they had an answer to putting on the Irish blaze. Kennedy opened up his teams account with a breakaway try from inside his own half followed by an assist to Mullins who would score twice in the game. Japan had a couple chances to stamp their mark in the game notably spending a good amount of the first half camping on Ireland’s 5m line but the Irish defense stood firm.

The second half would see the second try for Mullins, an intercept try from McNulty and a switch play that gave all the space for Comerford as the Irish continued to run rampant. Japan would eventually see their first try of the match through Tsuoka to deny their opposition a clean sheet but Ireland got the last say in the match with a strong fend-off from Ward to sum up the light work that this Irish side made of the Japanese as they make a strong case for gold medal contenders.

New Zealand 17 – 5  South Africa

It was a hard fought battle between these two rival nations but it was the All Blacks who came out to play, enjoying most of the possession and territory in the match. New Zealand took advantage of their chances with some sublime play that had the crowd dazzled and the South Africans scrambling on defense. Leo got the first points on the board for New Zealand with a flurry of offloads before Selwyn Davids grabbed the second try of the match to keep his side in contention.

That would be all for the South Africans going into the second half as McGarvey-Black extended his team’s score before Leo could put his head down and race away to the try-line for his second try. New Zealand capped off a good team display while South Africa will be kicking themselves for some costly handling errors as well as for not doing more to ensure a losing bonus point which could be crucial in their play-off hopes.