Page 21Page 22
Page 21
MEN’S RANKINGS1. Fiji2. Great Britain3. South Africa4. Japan5. New Zealand6. Argentina7. France8. Australia9. USA10. Spain11. Kenya12. BrazilWOMEN’S RANKINGS1. Australia2. New Zealand3. Canada4. Great Britain5. USA6. France7. Spain8. Fiji9. Brazil 10. Japan11. Kenya12. ColombiaSo on to the men’s event. Terry Bouhraoua scored a virtuoso first-half hat-trick that inspired France to a shock win over Australia in the opening match but it was match four that provided the biggest upset, Japan edging New Zealand 14-12 to repeat their heroics of Rugby World Cup 2015 and light the flame for three days of unforgettable men’s sevens.Where series stalwarts USA and Kenya misfired and New Zealand faltered, others found form. Alongside Japan, France, Argentina and Great Britain all performed well but Fiji were still the ones to watch. Series runners-up South Africa denied Japan the bronze medal in emphatic fashion, winning 54-14 with Rosko Specman (three) and Cecil Afrika (two) contributing handsomely to their eight-try haul. It was then left to Fiji to save their best to last in an equally one-sided final, powering their way to a 43-7 victory against a shell-shocked Team GB who simply had no answer.What better way for sevens to bring the curtain down on its Olympic debut than by celebrating a first-ever Olympic medal for Fiji and their English coach Ben Ryan.CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVEGold medallists Australia; Brazil’s women gained core status with victory over Japan; Rosko Specman; Terry BouhraouaYEAR IN REVIEW 2016 WORLD RUGBY 21OLYMPIC REVIEW | INSPIRE