By Mitch Phillips
PARIS (Reuters) – South Africa beat Australia 26-19 with the last play of a pulsating rugby sevens third-place playoff on Saturday to win their second Olympic bronze and complete a remarkable turnaround in their fortunes this season.
In a tasty hors d’oeuvre before double-defending champions Fiji face France in a mouth-watering final later on Saturday, the scores were level after a fightback by six-man Australia when Shaun Williams burst clear to score and Siviwe Soyizwapi converted.
South Africa qualified for the Games by winning the final repechage slot last month after a poor season. But they shocked New Zealand in the quarter-finals only to lose 19-5 to France in their semi-final having taken the lead early in the second half.
Australia, who lost in the quarter-finals in 2016 and 2021, had led their semi-final against Fiji before eventually being overwhelmed 31-7 and they took the lead again through Nathan Lawson on Saturday.
South Africa hit back when captain Selvyn Davids regathered his own neat chip, but the conversion was missed to leave Australia 7-5 ahead at halftime.
A terrific burst down the right wing by Tristan Leyds sent Zain Davids over, and it got worse for Australia when Nick Malouf was red carded for a dangerous tackle.
South Africa took immediate advantage as Davids blasted through three tackles to make it 19-7 and it looked all over.
Six-man Australia, though, showed impressive spirit to get back on level terms after Corey Toole’s kick and chase try and Henry Patterson’s bulldozing effort.
But it was South Africa who had the final word as Williams turned on the afterburner down the left wing to secure a second bronze after that won in 2016.
Earlier, Tokyo silver medallists New Zealand beat Ireland 17-7 to finish fifth.
An early Leroy Carter try put New Zealand ahead but another score from Chay Mullins, who got two tries in the agonising quarter-final defeat to Fiji, edged Ireland 7-5 ahead at the break.
Brady Rush restored New Zealand’s lead and Moses Leo’s try completed the win.
Argentina, the regular season sevens circuit champions, beat the United States 19-0 in the 7th/8th playoff, a match that marked the final appearance for Argentina’s 37-year-old Gaston Revol after more than 100 series appearances in a 14-year international sevens career.
The three-day women’s competition gets underway on Sunday.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, Editing by Ken Ferris, Ed Osmond and Hugh Lawson)
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