France knocks Blitzboks out of Olympic Sevens in semi-finals

The Blitzboks were knocked out of the Olympic heptathlon gold medal by hosts France after a disappointing 19-5 defeat in their semi-final at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday afternoon.

The match was a lot more exciting than the scoreline suggests. The Blitzboks put in a great performance in the first half and the first three minutes of the second half, before falling apart in the final stages to give the French a resounding victory.

The Blitzboks still have a chance of a medal, but they will have to win against Australia or Fiji in the bronze medal match on Saturday evening.

The match was a cautious one in the first half, with both the Blitzboks and France making mistakes, while the defence came out on top.

France dominated the area and possession for the first five minutes but were shut out by the monster defence of the Blitzboks. Towards the end of the first half the home side were forced to defend themselves, which they succeeded in doing by going completely even without scoring.

Strong start

The Blitzboks started the second half strongly, keeping France within 22 metres for the first three minutes.

Eventually they were rewarded with the first try of the match, after a penalty on the breakdown in the French 22m. Selvyn Davids took the ball quickly and it went wide, with Tristan Leyds crossing into the corner for the unconverted score.

France hit back immediately, however, eventually breaking through the Blitzboks’ defensive line. Ryan Rebbadj went under the posts and converted his own try, good for a 7-5 lead with three minutes to go.

The magic of Antoine Dupont gave the French nation their second goal. Claiming the kick-off, they got into the Blitzboks’ 22-yard box, earned a penalty and Dupont quickly tapped the ball in and passed it to Rebbadj for his second converted goal. With just a minute to go, he took a 14-5 lead.

With just one minute left, the Blitzboks attempted to finish strongly by attacking from 22 yards out, but they knocked the ball to the ground just short of their goal line, allowing Jordan Sepho to step in and seal the final score.

Previous matches saw two thrilling play-off clashes for fifth to eighth places, with Ireland and New Zealand emerging as winners.

Ireland were pushed to their limits but eventually won 17-14 against the United States. New Zealand also suffered, winning 17-12 against Argentina.