Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Rugby: New Zealand, Australia to final (of course); USA women to fifth-place match

Rugby - Olympics: Day 2

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 07: The USA team take to the pitch during day two of the Women’s rugby 7’s at the 2016 Rio Olymics at the Deodora Olympic rugby stadium on August 7, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Getty Images

The gutsy underdog USA women’s rugby sevens team avenged a group stage loss to Fiji, and will finish to worse than sixth in Rio.

The women fell in the quarterfinals to New Zealand on Sunday, but the tournament regroups after that stage into groups of ninth to twelfth, fifth to eight, and semifinalists.

After losing 12-7 to open their Olympics, the Yanks beat Fiji by the same score on tries by Alev Kelter and Richelle Stephens, and conversions by Kelter and Bui Baravilala.

Along the way, they’ve earned some high-profile onlookers like Rust Cohle.

Alright, alright, alright.

Matthew @McConaughey in the house to watch @USARugby. #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/8AstzbVsJK

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2016


Meanwhile, Australia handled Canada 17-5 in the first semifinal. The second saw New Zealand set up a rivalry gold medal match-up by clobbering undisciplined Great Britain.

Follow @NicholasMendola