Horror start for Springbok Sevens in Paris
Updated | By Bulletin / AFP
The Springbok Sevens lost both of their pool matches on the opening day of the Rugby Sevens tournament in Paris on Wednesday.
![Springbok Sevens against New Zealand at Paris Olympics 2024](https://turntable.kagiso.io/images/New_Zealand_and_South_Africa_during_the_Paris_.width-800.jpg)
They lost 10-5 to Ireland, followed by a 17-5 loss to New Zealand.
The Blitzboks can still make it to the quarterfinals as one of the two best third-placed sides. However, they need to beat Japan on Thursday and hope other results go in their favour.
Meanwhile, Fiji were at their brilliant free-flowing best in a 40-12 demolition of Uruguay.
In their second match, they turned on the style, bamboozling the United States with mesmerising offloads and searing pace to win captivatingly 38-12.
Fiji have won both Olympic golds since rugby was introduced at the 2016 Rio Games but has recently suffered a run of poor form by their high standards.
The Fijians face France next in a mouthwatering clash on Thursday to decide the pool winner.
The hosts booked their place in the knock-out phase Wednesday but struggled to live up to their pre-tournament favourites tag.
A shock 12-12 draw against the United States in their first pool C encounter was followed by a nailbiting 19-12 win over Uruguay that was anything but convincing.
![sports-banner.jpg](https://turntable.kagiso.io/images/sports-banner.original.jpg)
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