Paris 2024 Olympic Games: “We made all the mistakes”, a tough opponent in the quarter-final… What to remember from the day of French rugby sevens

Antoine Zeghdar was the best Frenchman in the first two matches of the Olympic tournament. MAXPPP – Julien Mattia/Le Pictorium

The French did not shine on this first Olympic day, but they ensured their qualification for the quarter-finals. Here are the scenarios to find out who the Blues' future opponent will be in the final phase.

Which opponent in the quarter-finals ?

If the Blues beat Fiji

Ça would be ideal. And the Blues know how to win the Fijians since they have beaten them twice this season. In the event of a victory against the double title holders, they would take first place in group C. They would thus face the second-placed team in group A, which includes the & rsquo;Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand and Japan.

In case of a draw

France would finish second in Pool C and would face the team that finished in Pool C. second in Pool B (Australia, Samoa, Argentina and Kenya).

In case of defeat

There would not necessarily be elimination. But it would first be necessary to define the score difference to separate the Tricolores and the United States. If the Americans beat Uruguay, second place in the group would be up for grabs. the difference in points. If the Blues finish second, they would face the team that finished second. second in group B. In the event of third place, the quarter-final will then be against the first in group A or against the first in group B.

Okay, well it’s not all that brilliant. Nor very reassuring. OK, the Blues did not lose. OK, the Blues did the job by ensuring qualification. But of all the favorites in the Olympic tournament, they are the least frisky. Yet, there was everything to be sparkling.

Thanks to decorum, already. What an arena, this Stade de France. Configured in Olympic Games mode, the Dyonisian speaker has never seemed so warm. The lawn was perfect, magnified by this Olympic logo right in the middle, distributing goofy smiles at the sight. Then the atmosphere too, incandescent. The support offered by the 80,000 lucky people in the stands, unprecedented for a sevens rugby match, immediately gave a taste of what awaits the athletes for the fifteen next few days.

Entry into Fiji

But this environment may have inhibited Antoine Dupont's buddies a little. Such fervour, mixed with the pressure of being the first team to start the French team in these Olympics, made their bodies tense. Too many handling errors, risky passes and a few blunders that prevented Jérôme Daret's men from really expressing themselves in their first two matches. The scenario against the Americans (12-12) was almost the same against Uruguay (19-12 victory).

“The pressure ? Maybe it's unconscious but it's true that we don't have much fun on the pitch, the public either, poor things. “We'll say that today, we made all the mistakes. Tomorrow, it will be different,” promises Jean-Pascal Barraque.