Two years ago John Manenti described his team as a “bunch of rascals”. Now, with the Wallabies’ star power infused, they are 14 minutes away from returning to Australia from Paris with a medal.
After years in the shadow of their superstar sisters who have continued to dominate since their gold medal triumph in Rio, Australia’s men’s sevens team finally had their moment in the spotlight as they reached the semi-finals for the first time.
Australia, who went through the group stage undefeated, defeated the United States 18-0 in the quarterfinals.
The Australian men’s rugby sevens team beat the United States to reach the semi-finals at the Stade de France in Paris. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Despite scoring three tries, Australia’s victory was not sealed until the final minute, when Maurice Longbottom converted a close-range penalty to put them 13-0 ahead. Then, with no time left on the clock, Longbottom capitalized on a mistake by the Americans to add to the fun.
The shutout came when James Turner finished off a quick-thinking Nick Maloof fumble and Nathan Rawson fired a powerful pass to center field for the score.
Then, after returning from the Brumbies, the team’s fastest player, Corey Toole, blasted a wide cross to give Australia a 10-0 lead after Henry Hutchison popped a try. The try came against the flow of the game after the USA lost possession at a ruck, and Hutchison had to deal with a fumble as he headed for the ground at the ruck.
The victory was built on courage and determination, traits that Manenti’s team has maintained for the past three years since their disappointing performance in Tokyo, where his squad was halved and the coach changed.
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Australia 7s coach John Manenti speaks to his players. (Photo: Matt King/Getty Images)
Despite winning the 2022 Hong Kong Sevens and consistently finishing in the top four of the World Series in recent years, Manenti’s team have been relative underdogs in hotly contested competitions.
Fiji was not the only winner, having won two gold medals but having underperformed in the World Series tournaments, they were not considered as favourites as in previous editions.
In fact, Ben Gollings was fired in March and former gold medalist Osea Colinisau was brought in as coach.
He brought back Jerry Tuwai, rated as the world’s best sevens player for the past decade, and appointed him captain.
It proved to be a masterpiece.
The two nations, who played an unofficial match in Suva in June in which the rules were flouted and Colincasau quietly apologised for questionable tactics, will now face each other in the semi-finals on Sunday morning (12am AEST), with Fiji coming from behind to beat Ireland 19-15.
“It was a good few days,” said Tool. “We didn’t play our best, but the most important thing was to get the win.
“A lot of the pressure comes from the defense. We connected on the line in defense and that’s why we won the game.
“It means a lot to me to represent not only my family and myself, but everyone who supports us in Australia.
“I hope we can make everyone proud in the semi-finals. We will review Fiji again and give it everything we have.”
Australia captain Nick Maloof in action during a match against the United States at the Stade de France on July 25, 2024. (Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
They will face a red-hot Fijian side who have regained their voice and confidence under the guidance of Colinissau and Tuwai, and are the only team to remain undefeated in the semi-finals.
“A lot of things have been happening over the past few months that have been hurting me, and not being able to compete in the SVNS series has hurt my core,” Tuwai said on the Olympic broadcast.
“But I never lost hope. I always believed I could go to another Olympics.
“A few months later, here I am. It’s a blessing because I just played my first game.
“He’s not a bad guy, he’s not a bad coach. He’s a very good guy. I respect him. He’s a good coach. He’s a very good coach,” Tuwai explained when asked about Ben Gollings.
“I think there was a lot of misunderstanding between us, between the media, between people, which created unnecessary drama, and that affected our players in the series.
“But like I said, he’s a good guy, a good coach. It’s all a misunderstanding that’s caused a lot of drama.”
Earlier, Manenti, who went undefeated through the group stage, said she wanted Australia to leave her mark and emerge from the shadow of her female compatriots.
“We’re really proud of the girls and what they’ve done and what they’ve been doing for so long, but that doesn’t mean the boys don’t want to be a part of it,” Manenti said.
“What we want to do is write our own story. So we’re proud of the girls, but we don’t necessarily want to live in their shadows forever. We’re confident that they’ll be on the podium, and we want to be there with them.”
In the other semi-final, South Africa beat New Zealand 14-7 to set up a clash with Antoine Dupont’s France.
Les Bleus beat last season’s World Series champions Argentina 21-7, while Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals after losing to Australia 22-14.
semifinal
France v South Africa, 11:30pm AEST, Saturday 27 July
Australia v Fiji, Sunday 28 July, 12:00 AEST
Men’s Rugby Sevens Schedule
- Match 1: Australia 21, Samoa 14 win
- Game 2: Australia 21, Kenya 7 win
- Match 3: Australia 22, Argentina 14 win
- quarterfinal: Australia 18 to USA 0
- semifinal: Australia v Fiji, Sunday 28 July, 12:00 AEST
Women’s Rugby Sevens Schedule – Pool B
Monday, July 29: Australia v South Africa (12am AEST)
Monday, July 29: Australia v England (3:30am AEST)
Monday, July 29: Australia v Ireland (10.30pm AEST)
