Australia has started their Olympic campaign perfectly with wins over Samoa and Kenya on the opening day of action in the Rugby Sevens.
It ensures they qualify for the quarter-finals, with their match against Argentina later on Thursday night (AEST) set to decide who tops the pool after a 21-7 win over Kenya to end day one.
The Aussies had never won their opening game in an Olympics but managed to pull clear for a tense 21-14 win over Samoa to start their competition.
Whilst the Samoans were featuring in their first Olympics, they seemed to handle the pressure better to start the game as Motu Opetai snatched an early intercept for the first points.
Nerves summed up the Aussies' first five minutes as they repelled Samoa before vice-captain Henry Hutchison got them into action.
He combined well with Matt Gonzalez to strike right before the break, cutting back inside for the levelling try.
The Australians once again had to scramble to force a penalty and immediately launched off the scrum as a long ball from captain Nick Malouf put Nathan Lawson in enough space for the five-pointer.
Shawn Mackay Medalist Henry Paterson combined with Hutchison to put them up by 14 with a minute to go. It sealed the win despite a late try to Faafoi Falaniko after the siren.
“The first game's always the most nervous, but I thought we settled in pretty nicely into that game. It was a bit frantic at the start,” Hutchison said. “Samoa came out hot and that was a really tough game, but we got better and better. Hopefully we can build into the next game with the back end of our performance.”
With Kenya pushing Argentina in their opening game, coach John Manenti called James Turner into the starting side for some extra size and it paid off in the opening seconds with the first try of the game.
Kenya continued to press the Australians and eventually levelled the scores with a try to captain Antony Mboya under the posts.
Dietrich Roache proved the difference in the first half, having set up Turner, before producing a smart grubber for Lawson to stroll over the line for a 14-7 lead as the two teams headed to the half-time break.
From here, it was a lung-busting finish to the game as the Kenyans threw everything at the Aussie defence.
Some heroic defence from Ben Dowling and Lawson prevented certain tries before the fresh legs of Corey Toole sealed the 14-point win with a trademark try.
Argentina's win over Samoa secured their place in the quarter-finals, with the SVNS League Winners also undefeated on day one.
