The Stade de France is jubilant. On this third day of competition, the French Olympic rugby 7s team beat the reigning double Olympic champion Fiji on Saturday, July 27, to win gold. A 28-7 victory forged in the second half, thanks to a sparkling Antoine Dupont. Earlier in the day, the Blues had defeated the South Africans (19-5), with a double from Rayan Rebbadj, again scored after the break.
Pioneering Blues. The French team won its first Olympic title in rugby 7s and for good reason, Fiji had swept everything since the arrival of this discipline at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. This is the first defeat of the Fijians in the history of the competition, after 17 victories in as many matches. The Tricolores of rugby 7s are also the first French Olympic champions of these Paris 2024 Games.
Antoine Dupont flamboyant in the final. Coming on at half-time against Fiji, the best 15-a-side player in the world in 2021 made the difference on his first ball with a breakthrough of more than 60 metres before serving Aaron Grandidier on a plate for the try that gave Les Bleus the lead. The Stade Toulousain scrum-half then completed his work with a double to seal the Tricolores’ victory.
An unstoppable French team in the second half. The Tricolores made the difference thanks to their depth on the bench on Saturday, in both the semi-final and the final. Jérôme Daret’s players scored 40 points after the break in these two games, compared to only seven in the first half. The Blues made this squad of “finishers” their main strength to go and snatch this title. A surplus of energy that did not leave the French, who remained on the pitch at the Stade de France for very long minutes.