Blink and you can miss it – such is the speed and frenetic intensity of rugby sevens. And on Wednesday afternoon at the sun-soaked Stade de France, speed was a vital factor as the Australian men overcame Samoa 21-14 in their campaign opener – the first Australian appearance at the Paris Olympics, two days before the opening ceremony.
It was epitomised in a vital moment. With four minutes remaining in the match (sevens is played in two halves over 14 minutes), scores were level at seven apiece. After Samoa fouled on a tackle in the centre of the pitch, Matt Gonzalez spun the ball leftwards to the head gear wearing Dietrich Roache. The pace quickened as Roache charged forward, before sending a long, looping pass to captain Nick Malouf. The sevens veteran, who has now been playing for his nation for over a decade, darted towards the only two remaining Samoan defenders.
It was the moment when the dramatic cruelty of sevens, played on a full-size pitch with less than half the ordinary number of players, was on full display. As Malouf charged towards them, Samoa’s Taunuu Niulevaea and Va’a Apelu Maliko knew they were in a trap. If the pair closed towards Malouf, he would spin the ball out wide to the waiting Nathan Lawson. If they hesitated, Malouf would charge straight through them. A split second of indecisiveness was all Malouf needed.
When the ball arrived for Lawson, he was already in full sprint. Catching it on the 40 metre line, he ran and ran; the 25-year-old would not have looked out of place in the 100m at the athletics track. Straight as an arrow, Lawson sped towards the Samoan line – leaping away from a diving Niulevaea’s outstretched grasp. Having suddenly found freedom, the afterburners came off and the Australian could jag inwards, strolling to put the ball down near the posts.
It was a clinical move from Australia. In sevens, width plus speed equals points. And it would prove the decisive try as the Australian men, who have not won a medal since sevens was added to the Olympic program eight years ago in Rio, began their campaign in style.
Indeed it had been a sloppy opening for the Australians, a degree of nervousness evident in early possessions. Just minutes into the encounter, Roache sent a looping pass inland only to find it intercepted by a quick-witted Motu Opetai, who clasped the ball and raced to the try line for the first points of the encounter. It did little to settle the Australian players, who were playing fast and loose – with an emphasis on the loose.
But on the eve of half-time, having regained composure, the Australians answered back. A darting diagonal run found forward Henry Hutchison, competing at his third Olympics, who deployed fancy footwork to slalom his way through the Samoan defence and earn the equaliser. The break came at an opportune moment for Australia, as they wrestled back the momentum.
Lawson’s try midway through the second half sealed the game for Australia, before Hutchison added his second through swift cross-field ball movement, collecting the ball on the right and sprinting home. With a minute on the clock as Hutchison touched down, it was an unassailable lead. An over-time consolation try to Faafoi Falaniko helped Samoa’s points differentiation but was too late to impact the result.
Australia’s winning streak continued in their second match of the day, bettering a determined Kenyan side 21-7 thanks to tries from Lawson, James Turner and Corey Toole. The consecutive wins leave Australia well placed ahead of their final pool match against top-ranked Argentina on Thursday afternoon.
The women’s sevens begins on Sunday – after a disappointing performance in Tokyo, the Australian women are hoping to reprise the form that saw them win the inaugural sevens gold medal in Rio.
