Canada Claim Olympic Silver After Upsetting Australia in Semi-Finals – Edged by NZ in Gold Medal Match: Full Match Videos.
It wasn’t expected but Canada upset #2 seed Australia, 21-12, to advance to the Gold medal match. Earlier in the quarter-finals they eliminated #3 France who were expected to medal as hosts. Canada couldn’t pull off one more miracle but gave #1 seed NZ a tough match only losing 19-12 to win Silver.
In 2016 Canada won Bronze with John Tait as coach, in 2020 they failed to make the quarter-finals after turmoil in their ranks and an interim coach, in 2024 Jack Hanratty has made his mark with the best result yet, a Silver.
In the Australia match, Canada spotted Australia two tries and it wasn’t looking good. Just before half Charity Williams turned the momentum around with quick thinking on a penalty tap that caught the Australian defence napping. Canada came out a different team in the second half, Piper Logan, who was probably Canada’s player of the tournament, again created one of her solo scores from the base of the ruck. Asia Hogan-Rochester also notched a try for Canada out wide.
In the NZ match it was NZ going ahead by a try, Chloe Daniels scored to tie it up and Alysha Corrigan put Canada ahead at the half, 12-7, on an intercept try. NZ scored two second half tries to claim the win. Piper Logan wasn’t able to re-create her solo tries against France and Australia as NZ would have several defenders tracking her when she picked the ball up at the base of the scrum.
This should be another boost for women’s rugby in Canada and it’s all the more impressive knowing they were missing two top players, Sophie de Goede who was injured before the Olympics and Krissy Scurfield who picked up a tournament ending injuring during the pool round.
Canada v Australia match from CBC Sports
Canada v NZ match from CBC Sports
Piper Logan Shines as Canada Upset France in Olympic Quarter-Finals – Face Australia in Semi-Finals: Full Match Video.
Piper Logan was amazing, scoring two solo tries to keep Canada in the match until Chloe Daniels scored the go ahead try with a minute left in the match. Logan beat both scrum halves for France, one in the first half and one in the second half, with a pick up from the base of the scrum and beating the cover defence. The first half try was spectacular as she ran it in from a scrum on her own 22.
The teams went into the half tied at 7-7, France went ahead in the second half 14-7 before Logan’s second solo effort brought Canada level at 14-14. With a minute left Chloe Daniels went blindside from a ruck with Olivia Apps cleverly holding a defender in the ruck, a wily veteran move. France were on attack but threw a forward pass to end their chances. Canada now face Australia at 7am PT on Tuesday, NZ go up against USA at 6:30am in the other semi-final.
Match video from CBC Sports
from World Rugby
New Zealand will face USA, while Canada meet Australia in the medal semi-finals of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 women’s rugby sevens competition on Tuesday.
Four New Zealand players scored twice as they set a new points record for a women’s rugby sevens match at an Olympic Games, beating the 53 Australia had scored against Colombia at Rio 2016.
That record win set up a semi-final meeting with USA, who came back after conceding an early try to beat Great Britain in their medal quarter-final.
Meanwhile, Canada broke French hearts in a hugely physical encounter, and Maddison Levi scored her 11th try at Paris 2024 to break Portia Woodman-Wickliffe’s long-standing individual tournament try record as Australia beat Ireland to make up the final four.
China will meet Great Britain, while France will face Ireland in Tuesday’s fifth-place semi-finals. Japan will play Brazil for ninth place, and South Africa will take on Fiji in the 11th-place play-off.
MEDAL QUARTER FINALS: NEW ZEALAND 55-5 CHINA
New Zealand captain Sarah Hirini raced in to score the opening try of the match with just 15 seconds on the clock, and glided over for her second with less than a minute left of the game.
Jazmin Felix-Hotham, Michaela Blyde and Mahina Paul weighed in with doubles of their own, and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe also scored during a lesson in attacking sevens rugby, as New Zealand maintained their high-scoring perfect record against their opponents.
Dou Xinrong crossed for China’s only try, while Hirini was serving two minutes in the sin-bin shortly after scoring.
GREAT BRITAIN 7-17 USA
Naya Tapper, Kristi Kirshe and Sammy Sullivan ran in three unanswered tries for USA as they came from behind to book their place in the last four after Ellie Boatman had opened the scoring for Great Britain in an all-action last-eight encounter.
Ilona Maher came close to adding a fourth, but was chased down by Jasmine Joyce in a physical and high-intensity encounter.
Tapper and Kirshe had been on the scoresheet in a losing cause when the two sides met in the medal quarter-final at Tokyo 2020 – but USA have had the better of more recent encounters, winning four of the five meetings in this year’s SVNS series, including at the Grand Final in Madrid.
FRANCE 14-19 CANADA
Canada’s Chloe Daniels touched down with less than a minute remaining on the clock to send them through to the medal semi-finals at the end of a hard-fought and physical encounter in front of a packed Stade de France.
Piper Logan had earlier scored a try in each period, while France had answered back through Ian Jason, on the stroke of half-time, and Yolaine Yengo – who skated in to briefly give France the lead, following an offload from captain Camille Grassineau.
The last time the two sides had met, in the SVNS 2024 Championship semi-final in Madrid, France had held on to win 19-17, having been 19-5 up at one point. This time, however, Daniels cruised in to shatter French dreams of a medal double.
AUSTRALIA 40-7 IRELAND
Maddison Levi took her tournament try tally to a record-setting 11 – bettering Woodman-Wickliffe’s 10 at Rio 2016 – with a first-half hat-trick against Ireland in the final match of the evening at Stade de France.
Faith Nathan, Isabella Nasser and Bienne Terita also added to the try count, as clinical Australia – one of the favourites for gold – won convincingly, Stacey Flood crossing after 12 minutes for a consolation try for the hard-working Irish.
Ireland had beaten Australia for the first time in the SVNS Series 2024 Cup final in Perth – but had lost every meeting since, going scoreless in at least one half in every match.
NINTH-PLACE SEMI-FINALS
Earlier, Japan set up a ninth-place play-off against Brazil, after two second-half tries from Marin Kajiki helped them twice come from behind to beat South Africa 15-12.
Yasmim Soares was the heroine for Brazil, racing home from nearly 90m out for the decisive score, as they beat Fiji 28-22 after Ana Maria Naimasi’s second try of the game moments earlier had taken the Pacific Islanders into the narrowest of leads in an enthralling match.
South Africa will take on Fiji in the 11th-place play-off.
Canada Women Finish Day 1 at 1-1: Face China Tomorrow – Full Match Video
Canada got a split decision on Day 1, defeating Fiji 17-14 and then losing to NZ 33-7. They have one final pool match and that’s against China tomorrow at 7am PT. If they defeat China they’ll finish second in Pool A which would put them up against the winner of France v USA in the quarter-finals. China shocked Fiji 40-12 in their contest, effectively eliminating Fiji from the playoff round unless they can upset NZ tomorrow.
CBC Women’s Rugby 7s Day 1 Coverage (6:34). The Canada v Fiji match is at 2:06, the Canada v NZ match is at 6:05. The World report is appended below.
from World Rugby
A new record women’s rugby attendance was set as 66,000 fans packed Stade de France for the first day of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 women’s rugby sevens competition
- The women’s teams took centre stage on Sunday as the Olympic Games Paris 2024 women’s rugby sevens competition began in style
- 66,000 fans packed into Stade de France to set a new record for a women’s rugby event
- Australia, France, New Zealand and the USA confirm their quarter-final spots with a match to spare following double victories on the opening day
- Australia’s Maddison Levi scored an incredible sevens tries in two matches to take her Olympic total to 10
Hosts France record perfect pair of victories over Japan and Brazil without conceding a point - The action continues on Monday with the final round of pool matches from 14:00 local time (GMT+2) before the quarter-finals begin at 20:00
It was the women’s turn to shine on Sunday as the Olympics Games Paris 2024 women’s rugby sevens competition got off to a flying start at Stade de France, in front of a record crowd of 66,000 for a women’s rugby event, beating the previous record of 58,498 at Twickenham for England v France in 2023.
Rio 2016 gold medallists and SVNS 2024 Grand Final champions Australia set out their stall on day one as they cruised past South Africa and Great Britain to go top of Pool B and book their place in the quarter-finals, scoring 12 tries in the process including an incredible seven for their try scoring machine Maddison Levi.
USA, France and New Zealand also secured their spots in the knockouts while China pulled off the upset of the day as they beat Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists Fiji by 40-12.
Reigning Olympic champions New Zealand ended day one top of Pool A after closing out the day’s action with an impressive 33-7 defeat of Canada, adding to their earlier 43-5 victory against China.
Jorja Miller scored a brace of tries in their opening half against Canada, Risi Pouri-Lane getting another to give them a 19-7 lead at the break. Two more from Jazmin Felix-Hotham and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe sent them into day two with a spring in their step.
Meanwhile, Fiji slumped to two losses from two, edged 17-14 by Canada in their opener before their shock loss to China. Fiji had led the game 7-5 after three minutes but next season’s SVNS series newcomers kept coming at them, crossing for six tries to record a famous Olympic victory.
Australia got off to a flying start against South Africa in their opener, Maddison Levi and Faith Nathan both dotting down in the right corner inside the first four minutes. Levi scored twice more to complete her hat-trick before the break, taking Australia 24-0 ahead before adding a fourth in the second half. Her sister Teagan also got in on the action with a try of her own in a 34-5 win.
They took on Great Britain in their second outing, and while GB’s Heather Cowell opened the scoring after Ellie Kildunne’s break, Maddison Levi soon levelled things at the other end in the first of six unanswered Australian tries. Levi added two more to take her personal tally to seven with Bienne Terita, Teagan Levi and Nathan taking them to a 36-5 victory.
Great Britain, however, will head into day two second in the pool after they beat Ireland 21-12 in their opening game. Ireland recovered well to beat South Africa 38-0 in their second game, tries from Béibhinn Parsons, Stacey Flood, Vicki Elmes Kinlan, Eve Higgins and Amee Leigh Murphy Crowe in a dominant second half keeping them in the fight for quarter-final qualification.
USA got their Olympic campaign off to a strong start as they defeated Japan 36-7 in Pool C. Japan had got the first points of the game through Sakura Mizutani, but from there on it was all USA Eagles, Kristi Kirshe scoring a brace in a six-try conquest.
A 24-5 win against Brazil in their second game took them into day two unbeaten, with a showdown against France to decide the pool in store.
Hosts France thrilled the boisterous home crowd by also ending the day unbeaten after convincing wins against Brazil and Japan without conceding a point. They won 26-0 in their opener against the South Americans before a bombarding performance against Japan ended 49-0 in their favour, scoring seven tries on their way to the Pool C summit.
VIEW RESULTS, FIXTURES AND POOLS >>
The women’s sevens continues on Monday with the final round of pool matches from 14:00 local time (GMT+2) before the quarter-finals begin at 20:00 ahead of finals day on Tuesday 30 July.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “After a scintillating men’s competition at these special coming of age Games for Rugby Sevens, it is fitting that yet another record has been smashed. With the world’s best women’s sevens players shining brightly on sport’s biggest stage, 66,000 fans were gripped by the action, while an unprecedented broadcast and digital audience will ensure that more young people in more nations and communities will be inspired by these awesome athletes, who are amongst the best in the world in sport.”
Australia captain Charlotte Caslick on what the team learned from not getting a medal at Tokyo 2020: “It is a part of sport that it brings highs and lows. But we have achieved a lot since then so we have definitely moved on and are really looking forward to this campaign. That loss in Tokyo has really helped us to grow.
“We have a lot of girls coming back after injuries. We do not have Kaitlin (Shave) who is out of the Olympics after an injury in the first game. But there are still many girls who are able to adapt to anything and they can do really well at this tournament.
“We just have to keep doing what we do, to keep performing. We don’t do it for recognition, we do it because we love each other and we love this sport. Hopefully, if we’re successful here we’ll go a long way.”
New Zealand captain Sarah Hirini on playing her first match since a serious knee injury in December: “It means a lot. It’s been a tough journey but I’m so grateful to the people around me to get me back to this point. I’m so happy to be back with the team and on the big stage.
On her fight to make the Olympic Games: “There have been a lot of doubts and a lot of isolation. I completely took myself away but we have an amazing medical team, they literally had every resource possible. I’m so proud to be back representing my family, everyone back in New Zealand.
“Wearing this black jersey means everything. It gives you superpowers. It has such a legacy and it’s one of the most powerful tools we can hold on to for a set amount of time. And when the time comes you give it to the next person.”
France Win Gold in Olympic Men’s Rugby 7s, Fiji Silver, South Africa Bronze; Women’s Tournament Starts Sunday
France won the men’s Olympic Rugby 7s title in front of a packed stadium at Stade de France and claimed the first Gold for the host country, Fiji came second adding Silver to their two previous Gold and South Africa claimed the Bronze.
The full 3 hour CBC coverage of the medal round and placement games is below as is the World Rugby report.
Sunday is the beginning of the women’s tournament with Canada kicking off at 8:30am PT against Fiji.
from World Rugby
France beat Fiji 28-7 to win Olympic Games Paris 2024 men’s rugby sevens gold, while South Africa overcome Australia to secure bronze in front of 69,000 fervent fans at Stade de France
- France defeat Fiji 28-7 to claim Olympic gold and send Stade de France wild in celebration
- A sensational Antoine Dupont scored twice and set up another to inspire France to victory
- South Africa beat Australia 26-19 to win thrilling bronze after qualifying for Paris 2024 last via the Repechage
- Rugby Sevens has ignited the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with a record breaking 550,000 fans creating an incredible atmosphere across six days of competition
- The three-day women’s competition kicks off at 15:30 (GMT+2) on Sunday, culminating in the finals on Tuesday 30 July
At the end of three scintillating days of Olympic men’s rugby sevens action, played out in front of captivated, capacity crowds of 69,000 at the iconic Stade de France, it was hosts France who took Paris 2024 gold amid euphoric scenes of celebration.
A sensational Antoine Dupont scored twice and set up another as he inspired France to claim the first team gold medal of the Paris Games with a 28-7 defeat of Fiji in the final.
Beating the two-time defending champions, who had never before lost a game of Olympic rugby sevens, the host nation dominated the second half as they scored three unanswered tries to claim their place on top of the podium.
Dupont entered the fray after the break and made an immediate impact, setting up a score for Aaron Grandidier Nkanang to nudge France ahead before scoring a brace of his own to secure gold and consign Fiji to silver.
South Africa joined France and Fiji on the podium, beating Australia 26-19 in a thrilling bronze medal match to repeat their finish at Rio 2016. South Africa were the last team to qualify for the 2024 Games, making their journey to the podium in Paris all the more impressive.
France reached the final with a 19-5 win over South Africa in the semi-final while Rio and Tokyo gold medallists Fiji turned on the style to beat Australia 31-7 to reach their third consecutive gold medal match.
New Zealand, Argentina, Kenya and Uruguay all ended their Olympic campaigns with wins in their respective play-offs. Uruguay claimed 11th spot with a 21-10 win over Japan, Kenya edged ninth place with a 10-5 victory over Samoa, Argentina clinched seventh as they cruised to a 19-0 win over the USA, and New Zealand beat Ireland 17-7 in the fifth place play-off.
The final was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, Fiji President Wiliame Katonivere and IOC President Thomas Bach among a host of other dignitaries and famous fames inside Stade de France to witness the epic encounter between the SVNS 2024 champions France, and double Olympic champions Fiji who had never lost an Olympic match.
The gold medal match was refereed by Australia’s Jordan Way, while Jérémy Rozier from France took charge of the bronze medal match.
VIEW RESULTS, FIXTURES AND POOLS >>
France’s former World Rugby Fifteens Player of the Year Antoine Dupont on where this achievement ranks in his career: “It’s such a great honour to win this title and I have such great emotions. It’s hard to describe. It is such a great thing to achieve with these boys. It’s really top of the list.
“I just want to share this with my teammates. We worked so hard for so long to do this. This is just the cherry on the cake.”
On whether he will play more rugby sevens: “I don’t know yet. I will enjoy this moment and then we’ll see.”
Aaron Grandidier Nkanang said on winning gold: “I can’t believe it. I’m really struggling to take it in. It’s an incredible story. After everything we’ve been through it’s just an amazing feeling.”
On the players’ on-pitch dance routine after their victory ceremony: “Dancing has been quite an active part of my training for the last few years and we decided to bring out our dance routine at the end there.
“I guess it worked because here we are with the gold. This medal is staying on my neck for as long as possible. I’m going to sleep with it, I’m going to go out with it, I’m going to travel with it, I’m going on holiday with it. It is staying glued to my neck. Look at it.”
On what it meant to play in front of 69,000 fans: “I just want to thank everyone who came out because it made it 100% incredible. None of us have experienced anything like it. I really hope that with the amount of people we’ve brought to the stadium, that people now start to appreciate rugby sevens for what it is. It’s such an incredible discipline.
“It’s often been seen as the crazy bit of rugby, but this is a genuine, serious competition with incredible athletes. Any personal status comes second for us to enhancing the sport. That’s what we wanted to do.”
Fiji captain Jerry Tuwai said: “We came for the gold but we have to settle for the silver. It was not what we wanted but France was too good for us today. We started really well but a lot of things happened that didn’t go our way.
“It is unfortunate that we lost the final but it has been a wonderful journey, since winning in Rio, Tokyo was a blessing and here in Paris too.
The only rugby sevens player with two gold medals to his name added: “I wanted to end my career with another gold but not everything goes to plan. I think it feels like the end for me at this moment. I don’t see myself playing again and I think I’ll go in to coaching in the future.”
South Africa’s Ryan Oosthuizen on winning bronze: “Honestly, I don’t have words. A lot of people didn’t give us a chance. We only qualified for the Games by repêchage, and if someone had said then, ‘You will be standing on the podium at the end’, I never would have believed them.
“It’s really awesome, a credit to the boys. I think we really fought for one another. We had an argument after day one about our standards. But we came together and said, ‘We have to fight for South Africa’. We are defiant people. And we did it. I am so glad.
“We had a couple of frank words (after the first day), but it all comes down to being desperate. We said we need to be desperate to win, we need to be desperate to make our passes, everything. And then we started to gain confidence and momentum from that point. You could see it in our play.”
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont Beaumont hailed ‘perfect’ Paris as men’s rugby sevens enjoys golden moment with record crowds, huge audiences and spectacular sevens. Rugby’s energetic Olympic format has come of age, and World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont believes that Paris has been ‘perfect’ hosts with more to come.
“These Paris 2024 Games have proven to be our coming of age Olympics. The records have tumbled, the stage has never been so big. But beyond that, our incredible athletes have shone brightly, showing the world why Sevens is a perfect fit for the Olympics.
“I was honoured to be joined by the Presidents of France, Fiji and the IOC among other dignitaries to witness this majestic moment for rugby sevens. Congratulations to France on their incredible gold medal performance, which will has ignited these Olympic Games for the host nation, and well done to all the teams on playing their part in a spectacular sevens tournament.
“Paris has been perfect in every sense. The fans have been exceptional, Stade de France majestic. And the great news is that we are only halfway through. The world’s best women take centre stage tomorrow in front of what promises to be a world record crowd for a women’s rugby event ever. Another milestone. We can’t wait.”
The women’s teams takes centre stage on Sunday as the three-day competition gets under way at 15:30 local time (GMT+2) with pool phase matches followed by quarter-finals on Monday evening and finals day on Tuesday 30 July to bring down the curtain on a spectacular Olympic rugby sevens event.
Then There Were Four: Men’s Olympic Semi-Finals Set for Saturday, France v South Africa and Fiji v Australia
It’s the opening ceremony for the Olympics today but Rugby 7s already has two days under its belt and will be the first team sport to award medals at the Paris Olympics, with the Gold medal match taking place on Saturday.
The women’s competition, which includes Canada, will kick off on Sunday and award medals on Tuesday.
from World Rugby
Olympic rugby sevens semi-finals decided and record attendance smashed amid euphoric scenes
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 men’s rugby sevens semi-final line-up was completed following a pulsating day that saw a record 130,000 spectators create an incredible atmosphere inside Stade de France
- Hosts and SVNS 2024 champions France play South Africa, while double Olympic Champions Fiji face Australia in Saturday’s semi-finals
- France overcame Argentina 26-14 in a pulsating quarter-final with a last gasp try from Antoine Dupont sealing the victory
- Fiji narrowly scrape past Ireland 19-15, South Africa see off Tokyo silver medallists New Zealand 14-7, while Australia cruise past the USA 18-0
- Rugby Sevens continued to break records and claim centre stage at these Olympic Games with more than 130,000 spectators attending Stade de France on Thursday
- Sevens takes a day break for the Opening Ceremony on 26 July before returning with the men’s finals on 27 July followed by the women’s competition from 28-30 July
It was another seismic and record breaking day for rugby 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 to witness the speed, skill and all action entertainment of sevens at its best as the men’s semi-finallists were decided.
South Africa, France, Fiji and Australia won through to Saturday’s semi-finals on a thrilling night of knockout rugby at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
South Africa’s Blitzboks ended New Zealand’s medal hopes with a defensive masterclass in the opening quarter-final, before hosts France played their best rugby at Paris 2024 to get the better of Argentina.
Ireland threatened to spring a major shock against reigning double Olympic champions Fiji, before Australia eased past USA to reach their first Olympic semi-final.
VIEW RESULTS, FIXTURES AND POOLS >>
Hosts France will play South Africa in the last four, after they overcame rivals Argentina 26-14 in thrilling fashion in the most anticipated quarter-final of the evening.
With a packed Stade de France creating a epic atmosphere, France played their best rugby of the tournament so far, racing into a 21-0 first-half lead. Andy Timo scored their first try after four minutes, finishing a long period in attack in exultant fashion.
And Aaron Grandidier Nkanang scored twice in two minutes to get a partisan Stade de France party crowd on their feet.
Rodrigo Isgró pulled one back for Argentina early in the second half, and Marcos Moneta added a second with two minutes left on the clock, after Jordan Sepho was sin-binned to set French nerves tingling. But Les Bleus Sevens kept hold of the ball for the closing moments – and Antoine Dupont ghosted through a gap for the final word.
South Africa – the lowest-ranked team in the quarter-finals – pulled off a surprise 14-7 win over Tokyo Olympic finalists New Zealand to book their place in the last four in Paris.
The Blitzboks raced into a 14-0 first-half lead, courtesy of tries from captain Selvyn Davids and Tristan Leyds – the latter a remarkable length-of-the-field affair as Davids turned defence into attack in a flash.
Moses Leo pulled New Zealand back into contention with a try deep into added time at the end of the first period. But they could not break down a remarkable South African defence that was repeatedly stretched but scrambled and battled for phase after phase to keep them at bay.
Defending champions Fiji made it 16 wins from 16 Olympic matches – but only after Ireland had given them an almighty scare in the third quarter-final on a dramatic evening of rugby sevens at Stade de France.
A first-half double from Chay Mullins and Zac Ward’s superb run-in early in the second period looked to have set Ireland well on the way to the shock of the tournament, after Iosefo Baleiwairiki had scored the game’s opening try.
But Joji Nasova and Waisea Nacuqu touched down in quick succession to overturn an eight-point deficit – by far the biggest Fiji have had to overcome in a knockout match at the Games and book a place in their third successive Olympic semi-final.
Tries from James Turner and Corey Toole were enough for Australia to book their place in the last four in the final match of quarter-finals night at Stade de France.
The Australians were just too organised for Mike Friday’s USA, and thought they had gone further ahead midway through the second period, but Toole was adjudged to have been forced into touch as he dived over in the corner.
As the seconds ticked down, Maurice Longbottom kicked a rare penalty – only the third in Olympic history – to confirm Australia’s place in the medal semi-finals. And there was still time for him to round off the scoring with a late try.
Earlier in the day the USA’s Perry Baker drew level with Carlin Isles on the all-time Olympic try-scorers’ list after becoming the first man to score four tries in a single match and bring his Olympic tally to nine.
Rugby sevens takes a day break for the Opening Ceremony on 26 July before returning with the men’s finals on 27 July when the action will begin at 14:30 local time (GMT+2).
New Zealand will play Argentina and Ireland will face USA as Saturday’s action kicks off with the fifth-place semi-finals.
The highly anticipated women’s competition follows on 28-30 July.
France’s Aaron Grandidier Nkanang said: “We really wanted to make a clean and complete match, to play our game, which we haven’t done since the beginning of the tournament. I’m really proud of the team. When we struggle it’s hard, but we did well tonight.”
“Maybe we realised that we are playing the Olympic Games at home. Maybe we got back that hunger that we didn’t have on the first day. Argentina are a very physical team. We knew if we weren’t in the combat zone, we would not go through.”
On whether it feels like an extraordinary moment: “I know we only won the quarter-final, but to play in a stadium like this, I never felt that in my life. To play in front of 69,000 people is something I could not imagine doing in my whole life.
“I know there is still a long way to go, but that moment gave us crazy emotions. I was almost in tears at the end. Thanks to the fans, I don’t have the words. Seeing 69,000 for a rugby sevens game, I think we destroyed the previous record by two or three times (laughs). I feel so honoured to be here.”
On facing South Africa in the semifinal: “It’s a mythical country for rugby. They are double world champions in XVs rugby. They beat New Zealand. We must not underestimate them.”
South Africa’s Tristan Leyds said: “Today was a special day. Things yesterday did not go our way. We had a tough chat with the boys last night and knew we had to pull it together.
“Japan (who they beat 49-5 earlier on Thursday) was a good start. We just knew we had to gain some points on the board and get a victory. We got a second chance against New Zealand and the boys produced a special performance in defence.”
“People back home did not think we had a chance but where there is a will, there is a way. And the guys put it together and got the ‘W’ against New Zealand.”
“The boys showed a massive effort. This team can pull off big surprises like this one. It was pretty special. Hopefully, we can pull off another surprise in the semi-final.”
Rugby 7s Kicks Off at the 2024 Olympics on Wednesday Morning 6:30am PT
Rugby 7s at the 2024 Olympics kicks off Wednesday morning at 6:30am PT with the Samoa v Australia men’s match. The men’s competition takes place the 24th, 25th and 27th. The women’s competition starts on Sunday the 28th at 6:30am PT with Canada’s first match at 8:30am PT against Fiji. The women’s competition will run from the 28th to the 30th.
CBC Sports are streaming the Olympics live. Here is the link to the Rugby 7s on Day 1, https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6427286
Here is the link to the Olympics website rugby schedule: https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/rugby-sevens
from World Rugby
- Rugby sevens will kick-off the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 24 July, two days ahead of the Opening Ceremony
- Men’s competition will take place on 24, 25 and 27 July, with the women’s tournament following on 28-30 July. The men’s final on 27 July will be the first team sport gold medal of the Games
- Australia and Samoa kick off the men’s competition while hosts France begin against the USA and holders Fiji face debutants Uruguay
- Ireland and Great Britain begin the women’s tournament on 28 July, while reigning champions New Zealand play Challenger champions China
- Full house of 69,000 fans expected for every session in Stade de France, which hosted the final of Rugby World Cup 2023
Captains from the 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams gathered at the Olympic Village on Monday ahead of what promises to be the most hotly-contested and highly-anticipated rugby sevens event in history.
Following rugby sevens’ debut at Rio 2016 and the Covid affected Tokyo 2020 Games, the sport is set to ‘come of age’ on the Olympic stage at its third edition in Paris in front of a record breaking crowd at the iconic Stade de France.
Rugby Sevens has proven to be one of the highest demand events in the Paris Games with a more than 550,000 fans expected to fill Stade de France across the eight competition sessions, and a worldwide television audience of many millions more.
The men’s competition will take place on 24, 25 and 27 July, when the first team sport gold medal of the Games will be awarded to the men’s rugby sevens champions. The equally highly anticipated women’s tournament follows on 28-30 July.
VIEW POOLS, SCHEDULE AND SQUADS >>
Australia and Samoa will have the honour of kicking off the Olympic competition as they take to the field for the first match at 15:30 local time CET (GMT+2) on 24 July. Hosts and recent SVNS Grand Final champions France inspired by global superstar Antoine Dupont will get their campaign under away the USA at 16:30 followed by double Olympic champions Fiji who face debutants Uruguay at 17:00.
Ireland and Great Britain will get play under way in the women’s tournament at 15:30 on 28 July, while reigning champions New Zealand play Challenger champions China and SVNS Grand Final champions Australia kick off against South Africa.
The competition format sees all teams play three pool matches with eight teams qualifying for the quarter-finals in the evening session of the second day of competition, before the third day sees the semi-finals and the all-important medal matches as Olympic dreams are realised and broken.
Rugby sevens is expected to be one of the highlights of Paris 2024, following the resounding success of Rugby World Cup 2023 in France. All the action will take place at Stade de France, which was the venue for the opening match and final of Rugby World Cup 2023.
Fiji have famously won both men’s gold medals to date – Rio being their first ever Olympic medal – but five different nations have won the men’s SVNS Series since 2016, while Argentina were crowned SVNS 2024 league winners and France claimed the inaugural SVNS Grand Final title in Madrid last month, demonstrating the depth of competitiveness.
Australia and New Zealand have lifted the women’s sevens game to new levels, winning one Olympic gold each, while France took silver at Tokyo 2020 and could provide a strong challenge on home soil, along with the likes of the USA and Canada among others.
All six World Rugby regions are represented among the 24 teams who secured their spots in Paris via the HSBC SVNS Series, regional qualification competitions and the World Rugby Sevens Repechage. There are three Olympic debutants with Uruguay and Samoa competing for the first time in the men’s competition while Ireland’s women make their first Olympic appearance.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We anticipate a ‘coming of age’ event as rugby sevens kicks off the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France on Wednesday.
“The Paris Games is the jewel in the crown of the biggest-ever sevens season. The stage is set for what will be a spectacular celebration of our sport at its breathtaking best.
“Over six days of highly competitive and compelling action, the stars of sevens will shine brightly in front of what promises to be a record crowd for Sevens at these ‘Games wide open’, taking our sport, its values and the joy of the Olympic Games to record audiences around the world. Paris is ready. Rugby is ready. Let’s kick these Games off in style!”
Paris 2024 Executive Sports Director Aurelie Merle added: “It is going to be a big day for Rugby Sevens, and it’s also a big day for us at Paris 2024, with the start of competitions in both rugby and football. It is our ‘kick-off’. The stage is set – and what a stage!
“We want to make sure this third appearance of Rugby Sevens at the Olympic Games is an exceptional and high-profile showcase of a thrilling sport and its unique fan culture. With Paris 2024, we are hoping to add another dimension to the famous party culture that Rugby Sevens is known for. It’s a perfect fit with our vision to make these Games a spectacular and popular celebration.”
France men’s captain Paulin Riva said : “We feel good and we are very excited that rugby is the first discipline. We want to catch this medal. We have had an amazing season and we have a lot of confidence and experience against the big teams like Argentina, Fiji and New Zealand so we feel good and we just want to get on to the field on Wednesday. It will be a big atmosphere in Stade de France and we are very happy to see this for rugby sevens.”
On Antoine Dupont’s impact he added: “We think Antoine is the best player in the world and when he is on the pitch we feel a lot of confidence and it’s very good for the team.”
New Zealand women’s co-captain Sarah Hirini said: “I’m really happy to be back and at another pinnacle event. It is so special and it feels just like the first time with the energy and excitement around the Olympic Village and within our team.
“We’re going to try and do something that’s never been done before, trying to create history while enjoying the moment. I’m really proud that we will be playing in front of huge crowds, that’s the most important thing that we can achieve as a sport for the sevens. I was here for the men’s World Cup last year and being in that packed stadium is going to be electric.”
Double Olympic champion and Fiji men’s captain Jerry Tuwai said : “The main goal for us is to come and defend our Olympic gold. I’m very happy to be back. It was emotional for me when I was left out for some Series events but I’m really happy to be here and going for another gold medal.”
“It will be a great atmosphere and the pressure from the crowd will be on us to deliver when we play against France. Dupont is a very good player that influences people and makes other players around him tick and he has my respect, just the same as everyone else.”
Australia women’s captain Charlotte Caslick said: “We are very excited. After a great camp in Montpellier and a great end of the sevens season, we are finally here and can’t wait to begin. We have been playing very well but also felt we had a lot to work to do so we went home and did just that, working really hard to get ready.
“It is so special to have our family and friends in Stade de France and having the ability to share our experience with them. We have been practicing ways to be able to communicate between each other despite the crowd noise on the field, which is good. Even being part of Rugby World Cup 2023 in that crowd last year was already amazing.
“All the teams will be going for gold, but we have got the legend Sharni Smale and we would love to send her off with a fairytale finish as well as winning the gold. We obviously all want to win but have this extra motivation!”
Ireland men’s captain Harry McNulty said: “It’s been really nice to settle in to the Olympic Village. Everyone is feeling relaxed and calm, enjoying these special moments and we can’t wait to kick off. Everyone can beat everyone and my ambition is to lead the squad to a confident performance and be competitive.
“It’s amazing that we are kicking off the Games and I think it’s what the sport needs. We have such an amazing sport that reaches all the way around the world and sevens is so exciting with many thrills and we can’t wait to get started.
USA women’s captain, Naya Taper said: “Having so many fans in the stadium is both exciting and somehow scary, at least for me. Tokyo 2020 was great but we didn’t have the fans in the stands cheering or booing for us so I’m getting ready for that stimulation. We have been preparing and are definitely looking forward to begin.
“We are very happy with what we have been able to achieve last season but we know the past is the past and the present is the present. We are coming here with the learning and the confidence we gained from last season, bringing it to this tournament.
“Bearing in mind we won’t be the only one and nobody will give us an easy game but we are coming out here to make our friends and family proud and get on that podium with a gold medal, not a silver, not a bronze, but a gold medal.
“It is really inspiring to be playing on such a big platform. It relates to our philosophy that women can be a source of inspiration for anyone watching, young boys and young girls, fans and new publics, being somebody they want to follow behind and strive to be like and trying to be a role model on and off the field.”