Eagles flying on Day One in Las Vegas

The US Eagles are off to a flying start at the Las Vegas 7s. Dominant wins against Samoa and Chile have seen them qualify for the Cup Quarter Finals after Day One with one pool game to spare. A Danny Barrett hat-trick led the way against Samoa while Sudamérica qualifiers Chile could not contend with the class of the hosts. The USA will meet England in their first match of Day Two to decide who tops Pool B.

In improved showing from Canada was not enough to get by HSBC Sevens Series leaders South Africa, though the 26-7 scoreline does not accurately reflect the competitiveness of the match. Despite losing in-form dynamo Adam Zaruba to injury in the opening game, the team found enough confidence to inch past arch-rivals Wales via Mike Fuailefau’s last-ditch try. Their final Pool A match against France will decide who moves on to the Top 8.

Argentina are in a strange position after their opening matches. After blowing out Russia, they opted to kick the ball dead in a 14-all game against Kenya to accept the draw. The Pumas now enjoy a 60-point buffer over Kenya on differential, but with New Zealand up next and Kenya to play Russia the gamble may yet prove costly.

As expected it was a difficult day for Chile though they did manage to score first against England thanks to Marcelo Torrealba. They could not keep up with the USA but have one last chance to squeeze out some points in their final Pool B match against Samoa.

Other standouts on the day include New Zealand, Australia, and Olympic champions Fiji. The latter two emerged with two wins apiece on Day One. They collide in the second match of the day to determine the top seed from Pool D.

All matches on Day Two will be streamed live by World Rugby.

 

DAY ONE RESULTS

POOL A
Wales 7 – 33 France
South Africa 26 – 7 Canada
Wales 21 – 24 Canada
South Africa 31 – 0 France

POOL B
USA 26 – 5 Samoa
England 31 – 5 Chile
USA 31 – 0 Chile
England 12 – 7 Samoa

POOL C
Argentina 43 – 0 Russia
New Zealand 24 – 7 Kenya
Argentina 14 – 14 Kenya
New Zealand 19 – 5 Russia

POOL D
Fiji 41 – 0 Japan
Australia 28 – 21 Scotland
Fiji 24 – 12 Scotland
Australia 19 – 12 Japan

 

DAY TWO POOL FIXTURES

Sat, Mar 4 – 13:28 PT, 16:28 ET – POOL D – Japan vs Scotland
Sat, Mar 4 – 13:50 PT, 16:50 ET – POOL D – Australia vs Fiji

Sat, Mar 4 – 14:12 PT, 17:12 ET – POOL C – Russia vs Kenya
Sat, Mar 4 – 14:36 PT, 17:36 ET – POOL C – New Zealand vs Argentina

Sat, Mar 4 – 14:58 PT, 17:58 ET – POOL B – Samoa vs Chile
Sat, Mar 4 – 15:24 PT, 18:24 ET – POOL B – England vs USA

Sat, Mar 4 – 15:46 PT, 18:46 ET – POOL A – France vs Canada
Sat, Mar 4 – 16:08 PT, 19:08 ET – POOL A – South Africa vs Wales