- Australians take on Fiji in men’s Olympic rugby sevens semi-final
- Fiji will not be favourites in Paris, but won gold in Rio and Tokyo
- The match will kick off at 00:00 and the winner will face either France or South Africa in the final.
Former Wallabies star Morgan Turinui believes Australia can pull off a big upset and beat mighty Fiji in their rugby sevens semi-final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday night.
It looms as a daunting task given that the Fijians have never before lost a sevens match at Olympic level.
They won gold in Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2021) and went undefeated in both tournaments.
But Turinui, who played 20 Test matches for the Wallabies before turning his attention to commentary, hinted at a surprise.
“On a hard, fast track, Fiji could possibly reach a level that Australia would struggle to deal with,” Turinui said. Wide world of sport.
‘But the (recent) wet weather means you have to be a bit closer to each other, a bit deeper, you can’t let yourself off a bit.
“There’s a higher risk in reward for the way they like to play… but that said, it’s still a tall order.”
Electric outside defender Matt Gonzalez highlighted the close bond he shares with teammate John Manenti.
Former Wallabies star Morgan Turinui believes Australia can pull off a huge upset and beat Fiji in their rugby sevens semi-final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday night.
John Manenti’s men are brimming with confidence: they have beaten Samoa (21-14), Kenya (21-7), Argentina (22-14) and the United States (18-0) and remain unbeaten ahead of their clash with the all-powerful Fijians (pictured, Nick Malouf)
Electric defender Matt Gonzalez believes John Manenti’s close bond with the team could prove crucial
“We are going to take advantage of this opportunity with both hands, game by game,” he said.
‘The 14 of us are participating because we know how important this is for us and for the country.
‘(As a group) we get together every day, we see each other every day for eight hours and then we try to meet up on a weekend for coffees, so we’re a special group of guys.
‘We all love each other very much and you can see that out there when we play for each other and with that crest on our shirt.’
Manenti’s men are brimming with confidence and rightly so: they have beaten Samoa (21-14), Kenya (21-7), Argentina (22-14) and the United States (18-0) to remain unbeaten.
The Australians will play at midnight with the final scheduled for 3:45am AEST on Sunday against either France or South Africa at the Stade de France.
