France, Australia, New Zealand and USA march into Rugby Sevens quarterfinals

On Sunday, the top contenders for gold in women's rugby sevens—New Zealand, Australia, France, and the USA—secured their spots in the quarter-finals with a game to spare, each team winning their first two matches of the qualifiers.

Even if they face unexpected losses in their final pool games, their performances have already guaranteed them a place as at least one of the two best third-placed finishers.

Following the thrilling scenes of Saturday night, when France's men stunned Fiji with a 28-7 victory to claim the country’s first gold of the Games, Sunday's near-capacity crowd was equally enthusiastic. The spectators were in high spirits as the host nation began with a commanding 26-0 win over tournament outsiders Brazil, who had odds of 250-1.

The French crowd roared as Joanna Grisez, Chloe Pelle, Seraphine Okemba, and Ian Jason each scored tries. The atmosphere was even more electric than on Saturday, thanks to the large number of female fans and young spectators.

France, silver medalists in Tokyo, then dominated Japan, with Jason scoring a hat-trick and Caroline Drouin successfully converting all six tries in a 49-0 victory.

"It was just crazy. It's crazy being here with all these crowds. We didn't expect such a crowd for the first day. It’s unbelievable," said Okemba. "The men's win was just so inspiring to see. Being here in the same stadium pushes us to be better."

Tournament favorites New Zealand cruised through their opener as Michaela Blyde scored four tries in a 43-5 win over China. They faced a tougher challenge against Canada but managed a comfortable 33-7 win.

Australia's Maddison Levi also scored four tries in their 34-5 victory over South Africa. The Aussies found their rhythm in the second half against Britain, with Levi completing another hat-trick and Bienne Terita adding two more tries in a 36-5 win.

Levi, whose sister Teagan also scored a try in each match, was impressed by the crowd. "It's really special," she said. "It's kind of surreal walking out into a stadium in front of so many people. They seem to know the sport and are really respectful when needed. It’s awesome to see that, not only men’s, but women’s rugby sevens gets crowds like this."

The Levi sisters received their match shirts from their parents in front of the Eiffel Tower on Saturday night. "There wasn’t a dry eye among the squad when it happened," she said.

Despite their defeat, Britain remains the favorite to finish second in their pool after having beaten Ireland earlier on Sunday.

Britain, who have finished fourth in the previous two Olympic tournaments, will need to tighten their defense if they hope to reach a third consecutive semi-final.

Ireland boosted their chances for at least one of the best third-place slots by scoring 31 second-half points in a 38-0 victory over South Africa.

The United States, aiming for their first semi-final appearance, secured a spot in the last eight by defeating Japan 36-7 and Brazil 24-5.

Pool play continues Monday afternoon, leading into the quarterfinals in the evening, with the semi-finals and medal matches set for Tuesday.