The French rugby sevens team secured its place in the final of the Olympic tournament by beating South Africa (19-5) in the last four, this Saturday, July 27 at the Stade de France. This victory allows the Blues to secure at least a silver medal and to move even closer to the first Olympic title in their history. They will face Fiji, the two-time reigning Olympic champions and winners over Australia (31-7), at 5:45 p.m. (UTC) in a top-of-the-table clash for the gold medal.
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From our special correspondent at the Stade de France,
The Blues of rugby 7s are almost there. There is only one more step to climb before Olympic gold. After having pushed aside Argentina in the quarter-finals, the French delivered a very solid defensive match against the hard-hitting South Africa, before making them crack in the second half to offer themselves the first Olympic final in their history.
As has been the case since the beginning of the tournament, the atmosphere was already electric at the Stade de France even before the Blues took to the pitch. A good half hour before the kick-off of their semi-final, the stands were already echoing with ” Go Blues ! ” intended for Jérome Daret’s players. A masterful Marseillaise even forced the organization to interrupt the music to better let the public get their breaths out. Never had rugby 7s experienced such an atmosphere in France.
The Blues therefore naturally met the expectations placed on them by their public. The first half was very tight between the two teams, engaged in a formidable arm wrestling match. The French were remarkably solid and eager to prevent the South Africans from deploying their game, thanks to an impeccable French defensive curtain and several ball recoveries. South Africa also showed some technical imprecision during this first half, failing to circulate the ball properly.
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The Blues made the difference in the second half
It was during the second act of this semi-final that the French showed their great game. After a first big alert on the left wing, stopped again by the iron French defense, Tristan Leyds finally managed to slip between everyone and open the score for South Africa (0-5). A cold snap at the Stade de France.
But Antoine Dupont’s entry then made the French public roar, and the Blues began to push to gain ground and move back in front. It was Ryan Rebbadj who finally found the fault, also taking charge of the transformation (7-5).
The French then thought they had scored a second try, which was disallowed after video refereeing and sent back into the scrum very close to the in-goal area. Determined not to let this chance slip away, they then relied once again on Rebbadj who came to flatten behind the line to make the score soar (14-5). In the last seconds, Jordan Sepho then burst forward to complete the victory for the Blues (19-5) in front of a frenzied crowd.
” I joined this group for the first place. It’s the ambition that was already there and that I had too. We are only one step away now. We have to be able to savor, to gain confidence thanks to this semi-final won, but quickly to project ourselves. All that’s left is to… “, Antoine Dupont was keen to point out after this convincing success.
France now advances against Fiji, the two-time reigning Olympic champions, who easily crushed Australia (31-7) in the other semi-final. This is the final challenge that now stands between the French team and the Olympic gold medal.
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