Paris Olympics 2024: Australia secures spot in rugby sevens semifinal with win over United States
Australia’s rugby sevens coach has revealed he used a famous Bob Hawke quip from the America’s Cup to inspire a barnstorming 18-0 victory over the United States that booked a spot in their first-ever semifinal.
It means Australia will guarantee a maiden medal in the men’s sevens event if they topple powerhouse Fiji when they meet at the Stade de France on Saturday night (AWST).
John Manenti’s side caused one of the boilovers of the Games so far when they scored either side of half-time to recover and early deficit against Argentina in their final pool game.
It sent them through to a quarter final clash with the USA, where they produced a defensive masterclass to keep a clean sheet.
James Turner opened the scoring when he crossed late in the first-half, courtesy of a Nathan Lawson tackle-break down the left, before Corey Toole scored after a strong Henry Hutchison run more than a minute after the hooter.
Dietrich Roache’s kicking woes continued from the pool match into the knockout final, missing both first-half conversion chances for his side to lead 10-0 at the break.
![PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 25: Ben Dowling of Team Australia runs with the ball during the Men's Rugby Sevens Quarter-Final match between Australia and United States at Stade de France on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)](https://images.thewest.com.au/publication/C-15484226/c40e1e18da5716186c9dd79907668747ab9f58d8-161x229-x95y0w2440h3471.jpg?imwidth=810&impolicy=wan_v3)
Toole crossed in the corner again early in the second period, but the TMO ruled the try off, before Maurice Longbottom nailed a penalty goal, then pounced on a turnover to seal the win.
Manenti revealed post-game a quip from former prime minister Bob Hawke — delivered to Australia II skipper John Bertrand before the 1983 America’s Cup — helped inspire his team’s victory.
“One of the slides I showed the boys before we left was a quote from Bob Hawke, which was ‘go and smash the bastards’, that he’d said to the crew,” he said post-game.
“It was just a reminder that Australia-America has some history and again, like yesterday, we felt an obligation to get the Australian Olympic campaign off to a good start.”
Australia face Fiji late on Saturday night, with the gold medal match to be played at 1.45am on Sunday morning.
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