France’s Seraphine Okemba scored four tries as Les Bleues beat Brazil to maintain the host nation’s perfect start to the women’s competition, while Australia and New Zealand also completed a clean sweep of their respective pools on the second day of women’s competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
New Zealand will play China, Great Britain take on USA, France meet Canada and Australia face Ireland in the last eight on Monday evening, for places in Tuesday’s medal matches.
POOL A
A double for Stacey Waaka – her second in the tournament – as well as tries for Jorja Miller, Jazmin Felix-Hotham, Michaela Blyde, and Manaia Nuku set New Zealand en route to an impressive 38-7 win over Fiji in the final match of the pool stage at Stade de France. But Adi vani Buleki delighted the crowd with a length-of-the-field try in the dying seconds.
Earlier, Charity Williams brought out the somersault try celebration in each half as Canada finished second in Pool A with a 26-17 win over a determined China to set up a medal quarter-final against France.
Florence Symonds and Piper Logan also crossed for Canada, while captain Chen Keyi, Liu Xiaoqian and Wang Wanyu scored for China.
POOL B
Fearless, free-flowing South Africa gave quarter-final hopefuls Great Britain a real scare, leading 12-0 in the first half, and 17-14 in the second.
But a second-half double for Jasmine Joyce and tries either side of the break from Grace Crompton and Isla Norman-Bell gave Team GB the 26-17 win they needed to confirm their place in the knockout phase.
Two tries for the Levi sisters – Teagan late in the first half and Maddison early in the second – after Faith Nathan had opened the scoring with barely 20 seconds on the clock – guided Australia to a 19-14 win over Ireland, to confirm their place at the top of Pool B with an unbeaten record.
POOL C
Marin Kajiki and Honoka Tsutsumi scored two tries apiece as Japan picked up their first first-ever victory in the pool stage at an Olympic Games, scoring six tries to beat Brazil 39-12. Gabriela Lima and Thalita da Silva Costa scored Brazil’s tries from long distance.
France’s Seraphine Okemba followed in Maddison Levi, Michaela Blyde and Perry Baker’s try scoring footsteps, becoming the fourth player of the 2024 Games to score four tries in a match.
Chloe Jacquet also scored as hosts France came from behind against USA to win a breathless, end-to-end, lung-buster of a Pool C decider 31-14. Ilona Maher had opened the scoring for USA, and Naya Tapper got their second late on, but Okemba had the last word, going almost the length of the pitch with the clock in the red as temperatures soared at Stade de France.
