SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Defending champion New Zealand accounted for Ilona Maher and the U.S. team, and an Olympic final against 2016 winner Australia seemed destined just before halftime in the second of Tuesday’s semifinals. Then Canada kicked in.
Charity Williams swooped in first-half stoppage time for a long-range try that swung momentum as the Canadians turned a 12-0 deficit into a 21-12 win over Australia, the women’s world rugby sevens series champions.
The New Zealanders beat the United States 24-12 in the first of the women’s semifinals at the Paris Games, giving them an extra half-hour to recover and prepare for the decider against first-time finalist Canada.
New Zealand has reached the final at every Olympic tournament since rugby sevens was added to the program at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. It lost that final to Australia but then went on a dominating run to the title in Tokyo.
“We get to play in an Olympic final in front of 65,000 people, which is pretty incredible,” said captain Sarah Hirini, who is ready to deliver New Zealand its first medal of the Paris Games. “That’ll be amazing for the team — and obviously we’re going for the one color.”
The U.S. team was playing in the Olympic semifinals for the first time. The Americans are still in medal contention in the third-place playoff against Australia.
“It would be so nice to just go in (to a final) knowing you’re going to win a silver or gold,” Maher said. “But I think going and having to fight for a bronze is something really special, because you could leave empty-handed.
“New Zealand’s the best in the world, but I think we gave it to them and they haven’t seen competition like that this whole tournament.”
Alev Kelter scored the opening try for the U.S., but New Zealand responded for a 7-5 lead when Stacy Waaka scored the first of her two tries.
After having a try disallowed just before halftime, Waaka scored again to extend the lead to 12-5 when she was given too much room to move out wide.
Chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” started slowly in a break of play, but it quieted quickly when Michaela Blyde crossed for the first of her two tries to give the New Zealanders a 19-5 lead.
Blyde fended off Ariana Ramsey to score again in the right corner before the Americans rallied with a late try when Kristi Kirshe made an angled run, broke two tackles and sprinted away to score.
Canada’s big comeback
Australian flyer Levi Maddison scored in the opening minute to extend her Olympic tournament record to 12 tries. And when Sariah Paki scored three minutes later, an Australia-New Zealand final appeared to be in the cards.
But Williams swooped on a chance in first-half stoppage time, taking a quick penalty tap with no defenders in front and running three-quarters of the field to touch down under the posts.
“I looked up and I saw the gates of heaven!” Williams said. “No, I looked up, and it was just so open. I just thought, ‘It’s now or never.’ So I just took it, and I’m so glad I did because I think it ignited something really amazing in our team.”
The Canadians took a 14-12 lead with about four minutes remaining when Asia Hogan-Rochester was left unmarked out wide, and they sealed the upset when Piper Logan darted from the scrumbase, stepped inside a defender and crashed over to score in the tackle of Teagan Levi.
As the Canadian players jubilantly hugged and celebrated on the field, a man high up in the Stade de France stands unfurled his maple leaf flag and screamed: “Go Canada!”
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