Pumas and Men’s Eagles in Dubai Quarters, Canada plays for 9th

Argentina’s shock win over Fiji on Day Two propelled Los Pumas into the Cup Quarter Finals at the Dubai Sevens. The USA will also enter the Cup draw after the Men’s Eagles finished second in their pool. Canada earned a win over Wales but their Day One loss to Samoa ultimately cost them a spot in the top eight.

Fiji’s loss was their first in the Pool Stage at Dubai in nearly a decade. Despite losing by just three points, their one-score win over Japan on Day One denied the Olympic Champions a spot in the Quarter Finals based on points differential, with France joining Argentina in advancing.

The Eagles had five different try scorers contribute to their win over Scotland with a big second half making up for a shaky start. It was the first half again that was cause for concern against Australia, with a 19-nil deficit too much to make up despite the best efforts of Maka Unufe and Carlin Isles off the bench.

After Marcos Moroni’s last-gasp try that beat Fiji, Los Pumas picked up the pace against Japan. Matías Osadczuk scored two second-half  tries with first-half singles going to Germán Schulz, Franco Sábato, and Lautaro Bazán Vélez to make the final 33-7 for Argentina.

Canada’s day started with a one-sided loss to New Zealand, with powerful winger Salesi Rayasi striking for a hat trick. The first win of the new season finally came in the third time of asking. Isaac Kaay scored twice with singles from Matt Mullins, Phil Berna, and Cooper Coats in the 31-14 result over Wales.

The new schedule won’t see lower-ranked teams playing multiple games on Finals Day this season. Canada will instead move immediately to the 9th Place Final against Fiji in their first and only game on Day Three. The USA will face New Zealand in their Cup Quarter Final, with Argentina lining up opposite South Africa.

Live broadcasts will be available on the CBC Sports website in Canada, NBC Sports Gold in the USA, and ESPN in South America.

 

POOL STAGE RESULTS

POOL A
France 12 – 10 Argentina
Fiji 24 – 17 Japan
France 41 – 5 Japan
Fiji 21 – 24 Argentina
Argentina 33 – 7 Japan
Fiji 24 – 14 France

POOL B
Australia 43 – 14 Scotland
USA 24 – 19 Ireland
Australia 45 – 21 Ireland
USA 31 – 21 Scotland
Scotland 29 – 31 Ireland
USA 12 – 24 Australia

POOL C
Samoa 19 – 12 Canada
New Zealand 36 – 7 Wales
Samoa 31 – 12 Wales
New Zealand 31 – 7 Canada
Canada 31 – 14 Wales
New Zealand 40 – 7 Samoa

POOL D
England 36 – 7 Spain
South Africa 17 – 12 Kenya
England 12 – 5 Kenya
South Africa 35 – 5 Spain
Spain 22 – 19 Kenya
South Africa 19 – 14 England

 

DAY THREE AMERICAS FIXTURES

Saturday, Dec 7 – 11:36 local / 02:36 Eastern – Cup Quarter Final – New Zealand vs USA
Saturday, Dec 7 – 11:58 local / 02:58 Eastern – Cup Quarter Final – South Africa vs Argentina
Saturday, Dec 7 – 16:06 local / 07:06 Eastern – 9th Place Final – Fiji vs Canada

 

COMPLETE FIXTURES LIST HERE