'Gutsy, gritty' Aussie men's sevens team out to defy 'incredible stat'
The Australian men's sevens team will have to defy an extraordinary stat to make it into an Olympics final for the first time.
Australia defeated the United States to book their first Paris 2024 semi-final berth.
It means they'll face Fiji, who defeated Ireland in their quarter-final meeting. With that, Fiji brought their tally of Olympic wins to 16 straight.
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That streak nearly ended after a close contest with the men in green, winning 19-15 at Stade de France.
"Absolutely huge," said Alicia Lucas on Stan Sport's Olympics Daily.
Nick Malouf of Australia holds off a tackle from Maka Unufe from the United States during the men's rugby sevens quarter-final match between at Stade de France. Michael Steele via Getty Images
"Our fans back home, I know they're going to be out of their seats – just like the French fans were in Stade de France.
"It was a huge day of play. Our Aussies were gutsy, they were gritty.
"They played a very strategic plan against the USA and they got the biscuits and they put them back in the doghouse."
Although Fiji come in as short-priced favourites, Lucas is optimistic that Australia can topple their island neighbours.
"They did look really sharp," Lucas said of Fiji.
"Ireland had their measure early on. Jerry Tuwai was subbed on with about four minutes to go and they were down at that stage but you can never ever count the Fijians out and they have now won 16 in a row – an incredible statistic.
"They roll into their next semi-final. They're going to be tough to beat but if there is anyone to beat it, it's the way our Aussie boys are playing right now."
In the night's other matches, France defeated World Sevens champions Argentina while South Africa stunned New Zealand.
France and South Africa go head-to-head at 11.30pm AEST on Saturday. That will be immediately followed by Fiji and Australia.
The gold medal match is scheduled for Sunday at 3.45am AEST.
Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.
