- Australia have reached the semi-finals of the Olympics
- It is the first time the men’s rugby sevens team have done so
- They will face Fiji on Saturday for a place in the final
Australia’s men’s rugby sevens team have shown the Matildas how it’s done after sealing Olympic Games history in Paris with an 18-0 win over Team USA.
Just hours after Tony Gustavsson’s football team crumbled in their opening match against Germany, the rugby team rose to the challenge posed by their American rivals to book their place in the semi-finals of this year’s competition.
It is the first time Australia’s men’s team have reached the final four in Olympic history. They will face Fiji on Saturday for a place in the final.
But the women have a mountain to climb to reach the same stage in their competition, with only the top two teams in their group qualifying for the knockout stages.
The two best-performing third-placed teams will also advance, but given that the Matildas are sitting on a goal difference of -3, they will need a huge goal swing to unfold to remain in contention.
The men’s rugby team showed no symptoms of stage fright in front of 70,000 fans in Paris’ Stade de France to put in a clinical performance and maintain their undefeated record in the competition.
Australia have reached the semi-finals of the men’s rugby sevens at the Olympic Games
It is the first time the men’s team have achieved that feat
Their success came just hours after the Matildas crumbled against Germany in Marseille
They face a tough test in Fiji on Saturday, with the reigning champions showing their mettle in a 19-15 comeback victory over Ireland in their quarter final clash.
Elsewhere, South Africa stunned New Zealand with a defensive masterclass to secure a 14-7 victory.
They will take on hosts France in the other semi-final, after they beat Argentina 26-14.
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