Aussie men scrape into soggy LA Sevens rugby quarters

Sun, Feb 26, 2023, 6:46 AM
AAP
by AAP
The history of Rugby Sevens explained

Kenya have shocked Australia but then lost to Japan to afford the defending World Rugby Sevens champions fortunate passage to the quarter-finals in Los Angeles.

John Manenti's side lost two of three games on the opening day of the USA series leg marred by heavy rain and storms that forced a lengthy stoppage in play.

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A 12-7 loss in their opener to the plucky African outfit was almost a costly one for an Australian side that's slipped to eighth in the series standings and outside the automatic qualification zone for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

A must-win clash with Fiji loomed but when World Series battlers Japan - beaten 50-0 by Fiji and 24-10 by Australia early in the day - upset Kenya 7-5 it gave the men in gold some room for error.

They initially looked like they didn't need it, up 12-5 against Fiji in driving rain at halftime of their final pool game thanks to Maurice Longbottom and Nathan Lawson tries.

But second-half turnovers in a line-out, from a quick tap and then a scrum, combined to squander that lead as Pilipo Bukayaro scored with 20 seconds to play as Fiji won 15-12.

Australia still snuck through in second place, thanks to Japan's upset win in the preceding game.

They'll meet ninth-ranked Ireland in Monday's (AEDT) quarter-final, chasing a podium finish for the first time since their Hong Kong gold kick-started the season five legs ago.

Sunday's other quarter-finals will see Great Britain take on New Zealand while Fiji will face South Africa.

Samoa will play Argentina in the other quarter-final.

Samoa topped Pool A with maximum points after a hard-fought 14-7 win over New Zealand in their group decider.

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