The All Blacks Sevens’ bid for an Olympic gold medal ended in a stunning 14-7 defeat to South Africa in the quarter-finals, despite having previously beaten them 17-5 in pool play.
South Africa capitalised on New Zealand’s early mistakes, scoring two converted tries before Moses Leo’s late first-half try narrowed the gap. Despite strong attacks in the second half, the New Zealanders failed to overcome South Africa’s defense, relegating them to a fight for fifth place. Earlier, New Zealand had staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Ireland 14-12 in their final pool game.
