France defeated Fiji 28–7 in the Olympic Games 7s final.
The incredible run of the national team in the Olympics is over.
The team led by Osea Kolinisau was forced to make do with silver.
The French had earlier lost 19–12 to Fiji in group play, so this was sweet retaliation.
After Josaia Wini’s outstanding break just after a minute, Joseva Talacolo, who was in tears during the singing of the national anthem, put Fiji on the scoreboard.
France retaliated through Jefferson Lee Joseph, taking advantage of a ball that Fiji had dropped.
As 70,000 spectators at Stade de France cheered them on, France began to apply pressure on Fiji with the score tied at seven all.
We missed a few opportunities late in the first half as a team, resulting in a 7-all draw at the interval.
After the half, the home team took the lead and led 14–7.
In addition to forcing the French to play a certain way, Antoine Dupont began to expose gaps in Fiji’s defence.
In the second half, Dupont’s two tries proved to be the winning ones for France.
Bronze went to South Africa following their 26-19 victory over Australia.
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