Fiji clinched back-to-back Olympic gold medals with victory over New Zealand but there was heartbreak for Great Britain who were beaten by Argentina in the bronze medal match
Wednesday 28 July 2021 11:14, UK
Fiji defeated New Zealand 27-12 to claim the gold medal in the Olympic Rugby Sevens at the Tokyo Stadium on Wednesday, retaining the title they won in Rio de Janeiro five years ago.
Fiji maintained their dominance of the Olympic Rugby Sevens on Wednesday with a comprehensive 27-12 gold medal win over New Zealand at the Tokyo Stadium, retaining the title they won in Rio five years ago.
Argentina claimed the bronze with a 17-12 victory over Great Britain, sparking wild scenes of celebration, and plenty of tears, at the final whistle.
But it was Fijis day as they ran in four tries to cap an excellent tournament. They put pressure on their near neighbours from the start with a deep kick and were rewarded when the tall Meli Derenalagi dived over in the corner.
Fiji were in again when Andrew Knewstubb failed to gather a kick into New Zealand's in-goal area and the impressive Sireli Maqala dotted down the loose ball.
All Blacks captain Scott Curry then crossed for an unconverted try, but Fiji had fire in their bellies and Jiuta Wainiqolo, who was in tears at the anthems, beat two defenders with a rampaging run down the right-wing side to score.
The All Blacks' Sione Molia showed great leg-drive to power over the line after the halftime hooter, but Fiji dominated possession in the second period and Asaeli Tuivuaka crossed for the try that sealed the win.
In the bronze medal match, Ben Harris put Great Britain in front with an early score, but Argentina roared back as Lautaro Bazan Velez and the electric Marcos Moneta, one of the players of the tournament, ran in tries to give them a 12-5 lead at the break.
Ollie Lindsay-Hague levelled for Great Britain, though that joy was short-lived as Ignacio Mendy was put into acres of space for what proved the winning score with two minutes remaining.
