ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Fiji brush aside Great Britain to take Gold in first ever Olympic Rugby Sevens

BY Grant Constable  ·  Friday Aug 12, 2016

Fiji made history as they won their nation’s first ever Olympic medal, with Gold in the Men’s Rugby Sevens after thrashing Great Britain 43-7 in the Rio final. The Silver medalists were no match for a thrill-a-minute Fiji side, who were full deserverving of the overall win.

Match their Rugby World Cup 2015 position, South Africa won their third place playoff to take Bronze, also proving too strong for Japan with a punishing 54-14 victory after slipping up 7-5 against Great Britain earlier in the semi finals.

Japan finished fourth overall after doing wonderful things for the sport in their country, ahead of hosting the World Cup in 2019 and the Olympics in 2020.

Fiji’s win sees them becoming the first men’s rugby Olympic gold medalists in 92 years, and the first ever men’s rugby sevens gold medal winners, a title they so richly deserve.

Showcased on sport’s biggest broadcast stage, rugby sevens at Rio 2016 has been a hit. With its fast, dynamic and entertaining format, sevens has reached and inspired new audiences around the world as social media buzzed with excitement.

The opening half of the final was a masterclass in sevens. Tries by inspirational captain Osea Kolinisau, Jerry Tuwai, Jasa Veremalua, Leone Nakarawa and Vatemo Ravouvou gave the Fijians a seemingly unassailable 29-0 lead at half-time.

After the interval, Fiji extended their lead through Josua Tuisova before Dan Norton got Great Britain off the mark. However, Viliame Mata rounded-off a polished performance by the Fijians, who ensured their place in sporting history on an emotional day for their nation.

“I never dreamed of being an Olympian, let alone being a medalist, let alone being a gold medalist. So I was just thankful to up above for the journey God has brought me on,” said captain Osea Kolinisau.

South Africa defeat Japan 54-14 to win bronze
South Africa bounced back from their semi-final heartache in fantastic style, defeating a spirited Japan 54-14. Japan, one of the stories of this dramatic sevens competition, could not find an answer to the sheer pace of the South Africans, but can take great pride from their stellar performances in Rio ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games.
 
Semi-final: Fiji 20-5 Japan
Series champions Fiji ended Japan’s gold medal dreams with a 20-5 victory. Leading 10-5 at the break thanks to tries from Vatemo Ravouvou and Josua Tuisova, Fiji showed their series-winning class and composure in the second half, adding tries through Semi Kunatani, Jerry Tuwai to guarantee the nation’s first-ever Olympic medal.
 
Semi-final: Great Britain 7-5 South Africa

Great Britain had to withstand late pressure to book a place in the final. Trailing 5-0 at half-timel after Kyle Brown’s superb try, Great Britain rallied, combining punishing defence with superb attacking enterprise to snatch the lead through the pace of Dan Norton. With time running out, South Africa pressed for the win, but Team GB’s defence held firm to guarantee a medal.
 
Positional play-offs
In the other matches, world champions New Zealand ended on a high to be ranked fifth after defeating Argentina 17-14, while France claimed seventh with a 12-10 win over Australia. The USA bounced back from disappointment on the opening days to record a 24-12 win over Spain to finish ninth, while Kenya defeated hosts Brazil 24-0 to claim 11th place.
 
By all accounts rugby in the Olympics has been a huge success. Rugby fans certainly got behind it, and the crowds for both the women’s and men’s were impressive.

It’s a true showcase of Olympic values and there is no doubt that some of the skills, physicality and sportsmanship on show makes it worthy of staying in the games for a long time to come.

Congratulations once again to Fiji, and to all those players – after a highly documented process of finding the 12 best for each squad – that made it to the Games, and can now rightfully call themselves Olympians.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles

  • 32 WEEKS AGO

    Magical sevens try leaves defender stuck...

  • 37 WEEKS AGO

    Canada Rugby welcomes 10,000 youngsters to...

  • 40 WEEKS AGO

    The dummy that sold the whole of Perth -...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Outlandish Jacob Stockdale finish is truly world class

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Ulster denied THE GREATEST URC try you will ever see!

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Capuozzo break sets Dupont up for hatrick on return

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Fans praise 'Dom Perignon Rugby' as Irish players prepare for final match of South African tour

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Harlequins winger heralded as the next big England breakthrough after weekend's performance

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    WATCH: The biggest hit from week one of the Autumn Nations Series

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    'Cheap shot' from Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints causing a stir online

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Wild moment leads to all in brawl during Welsh derby between Cardiff and Scarlets

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    South African school boy makes the greatest tackle ever

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Huge guillotine tackle divides fans in viral footage

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Insane moment as french backrow waves off medic and smokes Ange Capuozzo

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible drop goal helps break 25-match losing streak

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Leinster fly half delivers insane 50:22 after being given start for Emerging Ireland

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    French scrumhalf drills perfect shot at goal under outrageous circumstances

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Siya Kolisi makes young fans' day as he arrives at Cape Town school

View All

Funnies

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    Mischievous Marcus Smith spotted engaging in the dark arts during All Blacks match

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Watch: Mike Haley's post match interaction with RG Snyman leaves no doubt about where Munster players stand

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    The rugby guy and Mack Hansen drop an all time BANGER with latest video

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    ‘Pitch is made of concrete’ - Fan provides much needed update following half time incident

View All

Amateur

  • 95 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 96 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 119 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 119 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 119 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    Should Steve Borthwick have brought on George Ford? Or trusted in Marcus Smith?

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Louis Rees-Zammit opens up about his biggest shock in chasing NFL dream

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been an honour' - Wales legend retires from international rugby

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been horrible' - Wales captain to miss Autumn Nations

View All