Australia, Kiwis shine as rugby sevens makes Olympic bow

Monday, 8 August 2016 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

AFP: Favourites Australia and arch-rivals New Zealand were in ruthless form as rugby sevens made its Olympic debut on Saturday, Frenchwoman Camille Grassineau grabbing a piece of history by scoring the first try of the tournament.

The Wallabies ran unfancied Colombia ragged in their opening match, Charlotte Caslick scoring a hat-trick in the 53-0 rout. There were no worries in their second game as they dispatched Fiji by a 36-0 margin.

New Zealand look the closest rivals to Australia, with Kayla McAlister -- sister of Toulouse-based former All Black Luke -- and Portia Woodman both outstanding in lop-sided wins over Kenya (52-0) and Spain (31-5).

The French, Canada and Britain also finished the day’s play unbeaten in blistering conditions with temperatures above 30 degrees celsius (84F) at the 15,000-seater Deodoro Stadium, which was at its best half-full.

And it was France’s Grassineau who was first on the scoreboard, crossing for a try in her team’s opening 24-7 victory over Spain.

The tournament signalled the first time since 1924 that rugby has been played at the Olympics and the debut for sevens, the previous four incarnations featuring men’s 15-a-side tournaments.

On the pitch, Fiji caused the upset of the day, trumping the United States 12-7 with Bach watching, before losing to the Wallabies in the day’s final game.