MEDAL ROUNDS RECAP
New Zealand won a thrilling arm-wrestle of a gold medal match against brave and determined Canada to send rugby legends Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Tyla King into retirement with gold medals around their necks.
Earlier, Rugby Americas North countries Canada and USA had both sprung Olympic upsets on a dramatic afternoon at Stade de France, as they each beat one of the hot favorites for gold, Australia, in consecutive matches.
Canada were the first to upset the form book, beating the reigning Rugby World Cup Sevens champions and SVNS Grand final winners in the medal semi-finals, before Emilie Bydwell became the first female head coach to win a medal as USA wrote their names into history, stunning Rio 2016 gold medallists Australia, in the bronze medal match.
GOLD MEDAL MATCH: NEW ZEALAND 19-12 CANADA
New Zealand claimed gold in an enthralling finale to the women’s competition in front of another passionate full house at Stade de France.
The defending champions got off to the fastest start, with co-captain Risi Pouri-Lane cutting inside and running 50 meters to score under the posts.
Much of the early action was deep in Canadian territory, as ferocious New Zealand defence kept them pinned on their line, until Portia Woodman-Wickliffe was yellow-carded for a high tackle.
The player advantage allowed Canada to work their way out of their half – and Chloe Daniels took full advantage, bursting clear to level the scores. And, with Woodman-Wickliffe just back on the pitch, Alysha Corrigan collected a loose New Zealand pass to take gutsy Canada into the lead at the break.
It didn’t last long. Michaela Blyde found a route through three defenders to the line after a quick tap from Jorja Miller to give New Zealand a two-point advantage.
Sarah Hirini, who came straight into the defending champions’ squad for the Olympics 28 weeks after suffering a serious knee injury at the opening SVNS series tournament in Dubai, then broke clear and fed Stacey Waaka, who extended the lead to seven, at the end of an incredibly competitive encounter.
BRONZE MEDAL MATCH: USA 14-12 AUSTRALIA
USA’s Alex Sedrick raced from under her own posts with the clock in the red to score the decisive length-of-the-pitch try in the dying seconds of a dramatic match to claim bronze.
Maddison Levi had earlier added two more tries – one in each half – to her Paris 2024 tally, drawing level with Portia Woodman-Wickliffe’s overall Olympic record, as Australia looked set to put the heartbreak of their semi-final defeat against Canada behind them.
Alev Kelter had kept USA in the hunt with a powerful run-in from close range, and Kayla Canett could have put them ahead but for a desperate try-saving tackle from Faith Nathan.
An increasingly frustrated Australia struggled to break down determined USA defence in the second half, until Teagan Levi took matters into her own hands, racing deep into USA’s 22 before offloading to her older sister to score with 13 minutes on the clock. It looked to be enough for bronze, until Sedrick’s 90-meter intervention.
MEDAL SEMI-FINALS: NEW ZEALAND 24-12 USA
New Zealand extended their winning streak against USA to 11 matches, a run dating back to October 2019 to book their place in the final with a convincing second-half performance, after a sluggish start saw them fall behind early on.
Kelter’s powerful run, step and fend got USA off to a perfect start, while their organized and determined defense kept New Zealand at bay in the early exchanges.
But Stacey Waaka raced in to get the defending champions on the board after five minutes, and scored another early in the second half. Then Michaela Blyde showed pace, balance and power twice to score her eighth and ninth tries of the competition before Kristi Kirshe got a late consolation for USA.
CANADA 21-12 AUSTRALIA
Canada tore up the semi-final script and pulled off the shock of the tournament in front of another packed and passionate crowd to make it back-to-back wins over hot favourites Australia as temperatures soared in Paris.
Australia had cruised through the tournament to date, and started brightly against a side they had beaten six times in the past seven meetings coming into the semi-finals.
Levi scored her 12th try of Paris 2024, and Sariah Paki crossed to send the 2016 champions into a 12-0 lead in four minutes. But a 75-metre individual tap-and-go try from Charity Williams moments before the break restored Canadian confidence.
And it was all red in the second half, as Australia shipped too many penalties. Asia Hogan-Rochester finished off a messy move early on, before Piper Logan held off Teagan Levi to score the crucial try a minute from time.
WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS
- USA claim first rugby sevens Olympic medal, beating Australia 14-12 to claim thrilling bronze with match-winning try in the dying seconds
- Curtain drawn on sensational, record breaking rugby sevens which saw over 500,000 fans fill Stade de France as the sport came of age on the Olympic stage
- Australia’s Maddison Levi breaks record for most tries in a single Olympic Games with an incredible 14 tries, but finishes without a medal
- USA’s Ilona Maher becomes most followed rugby player on social media, surpassing double men’s Rugby World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi as profile of women’s rugby continues to rise
- Rugby sevens action will return later this year as the SVNS Series begins a new Olympic cycle on the road to the LA 2028 Games
New Zealand won a thrilling arm-wrestle of a gold medal match 19-12 against brave and determined Canada to send rugby legends Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Tyla King into retirement with Paris 2024 gold medals around their necks.
Earlier, Canada and USA had both sprung Olympic upsets on a dramatic afternoon at Stade de France, as they each beat one of the hot favourites for gold, Australia, in consecutive matches.
Canada were the first to upset the form book, beating the reigning Rugby World Cup Sevens champions and SVNS Grand final winners in the medal semi-finals, before Emilie Bydwell became the first female head coach to win a medal as USA wrote their names into history, stunning Rio 2016 gold medallists Australia 14-12, in the bronze medal match.
Australia’s Maddison Levi broke the record for most tries in a single Olympic Games with an incredible 14 tries, and drew level with Woodman-Wickliffe on the all-time Olympic scoring chart with 17, but ultimately finished without a medal.
More than 500,000 fans were entertained at Stade de France over six days of sensational rugby sevens as the dynamic, action-packed sport has truly ‘come of age’ at it’s third appearance at the Olympic Games following debut at Rio 2016 and the Covid-19 affected Games in Tokyo.
Over the last three days the best women’s rugby sevens players in the world have showcased their incredible skill, speed and power to record-breaking audiences for a women’s rugby event.
The referee for the gold medal final was the USA’s Kat Roche, while Criag Chan of Hong Kong China took charge of the bronze medal match.
Canada’s Caroline Crossley on her emotions after the game: “It’s a whole range of human emotions. There is disappointment, there is pride, there is sadness, there is love for my team. Everything I can possibly feel, I feel it right now. I’m definitively in shock. I’m very happy but it will take time to process this.”
On what the players said to each other after the game: “It was just acknowledging the fight we gave in that game. We gave all we had. It was a close one. New Zealand are a great side, but we were really proud of the performance we put on, especially after our pool game against them on the first day.”
On what this will do for rugby sevens in Canada: “I’m hoping that this gives more excitement to rugby sevens because it’s such a great sport and we have such talented players in Canada.”
On seeing her family after receiving her medal: “I cried. Hugged them and put my medal around their necks because it’s every bit as much their win as it is mine.”
USA’s Ilona Maher on beating Australia to win the bronze medal said: “It hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m so tired but I’m so excited. I don’t think it will sink in until we get up with those medals. We worked really hard. We wanted this medal, not for ourselves but for our families. It was such a hard few years, but we did it.”
On support from her family: “They know so well what I’ve been through. Having them here really helps us. I was so broken and down three years ago (after Tokyo 2020). I took me a long time to come around, so to be here now after this, really means a lot. It’s awesome, and more so because this is a team sport. We are never alone in this.”
On what this medal will mean for rugby sevens in the United States: “I hope it means we get more games in stadiums like this, that we get more money and funding for the women’s game. We deserve it. We need more girls in the US trying rugby and seeing what it can do for them.”
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont reflected on an unforgettable Olympic sevens tournament: “The Olympics Sevens has truly been a coming-of-age moment for the sport, getting these special Games off to a thrilling start. From France men winning the first gold of Paris 2024, to the incredible atmosphere in a packed Stade de France, it has been breathtaking. The stars have shone brightly. Rugby has reached more people in more nations that ever before on and off the field.
“We’ve also seen records broken across the board including the opening day of the women’s competition which saw over 66,000 fans descend on Stade de France. Visibility of the women’s game has never been higher and we’re confident we’ve laid a solid foundation for the game to continue to flourish. We have no doubt the women’s game is going to continue to soar.
“Congratulations to New Zealand, Canada and the USA on their medal success and to all the teams who have contributed to making this a very special and outstandingly successful Olympic rugby sevens. Merci Paris. Merci France! We can’t wait for LA 2028!”
International rugby sevens action will return later this year as the SVNS Series begins a new Olympic cycle on the road to the LA 2028 Games, where the sevens will look to further enhance it’s reputation on the greatest stage.
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