Fiji defeats France in Olympic rugby sevens as quarter-finals loom

Despite having the 15-a-side superstar Antoine Dupont in their squad, France struggled to match Fiji's power, speed, aggressive tackling, and unique style of play.

Both teams had already secured their spots in the quarterfinals, with France set to face Argentina and Fiji up against Ireland. The sell-out crowd witnessed Les Bleus taking the lead, enduring intense Fijian defense before Aaron Grandidier Nkanang scored the opening try.

However, Fiji, who have never been defeated in an Olympic rugby sevens match, quickly responded with 'King' Jerry Tuwai scoring his first try of the tournament after some exceptional offloads. The scores were tied at half-time, but Kaminieli Rasaku put Fiji ahead early in the second half with a well-executed try in the corner.

Although French coach Jerome Daret initially kept Dupont on the bench, he brought him on with four minutes remaining to a warm reception. Despite Dupont's efforts, Fiji maintained their lead, and Joji Nasova sealed the victory with a try in the final minute, ending any hopes of a French comeback.

Andy Timo managed to secure a consolation try for France after the final buzzer.

"I enjoy competing against Argentina. They have taken away numerous victories, titles, and medals from us," expressed French player Varian Pasquet.

"If we can eliminate them in the quarter-finals, it will be fantastic... it's going to be an intense match," he informed the press.

Previously, Australia claimed the top spot in pool B with a hard-fought 22-14 victory over Argentina.

Australia effectively utilized strategic kicks into open spaces to exploit the Los Pumas defense and executed offloads efficiently.

Captain Nick Malouf concluded a well-coordinated play by scoring in the corner in the closing minutes to seal the win against Argentina.

Both teams are expected to be formidable opponents in the knockout stages.

Malouf emphasized that his team's performance in the latter stages of the tournament will be the true measure of their success.

"We haven't accomplished anything yet, we need to focus on tonight. It has been a good journey so far. I am extremely satisfied with our progress, but tonight is our main focus," he stated to the media.

In the match determining the pool A 'group of death' which included some of rugby's top teams, New Zealand narrowly defeated Ireland 14-12, while South Africa also advanced as one of the top third-placed teams.

Ireland's close loss set them up for a challenging quarter-final against Fiji. The other quarter-final matches later on Thursday will feature Australia against the United States and New Zealand against South Africa.

With World Rugby organizers anticipating a record attendance of 550,000 fans at the Stade de France over six days, chief executive Alan Gilpin described the event as a significant milestone for sevens rugby.

The men's gold medal match is scheduled for Saturday, with the women's competition commencing a day later.

The women's tournament is expected to be dominated by Australia and New Zealand, teams that Gilpin mentioned were elevating the game to new heights.