Coach Tim Walsh’s gamble on Samu Kerevi was a hit but the basics you learn at sevens’ school were a sorry miss by the Australians when they opened at the Tokyo Olympics.
You just had to shake your head at the waste in Japan after the Aussies lost 29-19 to Argentina in their opening pool game on Monday morning.
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Being unable to claim re-starts killed the Aussies’ chances and that doesn’t count the kick-off that flew hopelessly out on the full.
There’s only one thing more important than possession in rugby sevens. And that’s more possession.
You have to treasure the ball when you get your hands on it and it really took until the second half for the Aussies to control the footy at all.
The game was gone.
Even then, the Australians had a chance to pinch it from 24-0 down with Josh Turner showing awareness and speed for his two quick tries.
Former Wallaby centre Kerevi changed the game when he came on for the final two minutes.
It was his strong surge down the left sideline that got momentum rolling for one Turner try.
Down 12-24, Kerevi put on a stutter-step and a big fend in midfield and was scooting away for a seven-pointer to make it 19-24 in the final minute.
If the Aussies had won the kick-off like Sean McMahon used to do so regularly when he was a sevens’ whiz, the men in green-and-gold would have had 30 seconds for a telling score.
Instead, the kick-off contest was a messy leap and deflection that Argentina turned into a final try for 29-19. Sigh.
Kerevi was picked for the squad as a super-sub who could be a game-changer. He did his job perfectly.
The Aussies can still upset New Zealand at 11.30am on Tuesday in their final pool game and change the order of progression into the quarter-finals.
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They will be facing a more familiar opponent and that will help but you don’t get too many second chances at the Olympics.
As it shapes, the Aussies will still likely advance to the quarter-finals as one of the two best third-placed pool finishers.
The reward for is likely to be a tough quarter-final draw against 2016 Olympic gold medallists Fiji or the Kiwis again.
The Aussies are always spruiking they feel they are medal contenders. They’ll just have to prove it earlier than expected or they will be going home emptyhanded.
