The Blitzboks from the host nation won’t be there but at least the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens final will be a fitting contest as it will be between the two undisputed giants of the global game in the abbreviated code.
Two times RWC and reigning Olympic champions Fiji will clash with New Zealand, who are the reigning champions in this competition and bidding for their fourth World Cup title. They will face off against each other at 20.54 South African time. Just where the two teams are in terms of RWC wins will make it extra interesting on its own, with the sides set to be level on the number of wins if Fiji win, and the All Blacks drawing two ahead if they win.
On the evidence of the two semifinals played around lunchtime at the Cape Town Stadium on Sunday, Fiji should start favourites as they were comprehensive victors against Australia. On a day where some fans in the stands were either impersonating Australians or were actually Australians, and you could tell this from the wide brim hats they wore, the Wallabies never really rose to the challenge against Fiji.
The islanders raced into a 19-7 lead after a first half that they always looked well in control of. They kicked on from there to double their own tally in the second half, with the losers also doubling theirs, although obviously that wasn’t good enough.
The earlier semifinal was far closer. The Kiwis started strongly and for a while, it looked as though Ireland might have gone out to celebrate their upset win over host nation South Africa in some dive on the foreshore in the early hours of the morning.
Of course, they wouldn’t really have done that after such an achievement, and although they were always chasing after going 10-0 behind early in the clash, they fought back well to level the scores at 10-10 at halftime. As they appeared to be gathering momentum towards the end, they were in with a major chance of pulling off an upset and advancing to what would have been the first World Cup final in their history.
Indeed, as it stands, the Ireland Sevens team has surpassed any Ireland team at any previous Rugby World Cup, either the conventional 15-man code or Sevens, just by reaching the semifinals. No Ireland team has ever advanced past the quarterfinals in either event.
And it might have been a historic first-ever appearance in a final were it not for a slightly marginal and controversial call made against Ireland late in a game that always hung in the balance. With the scores still level, New Zealand lost the ball as they went over for what they hoped was their winning try.
It was picked up on the TMO replay, but then came the question - did an Irish hand knock the ball out of the All Black hand, in which case the scrum would be to New Zealand in a very good attacking position. On another day, the call might have gone differently but the referees did probably get it right.
From the scrum, the Kiwis scored their winning try as the giant-killing run of the Irish, which was started with an upset win over England on the opening night, was finally halted.
Championship Men’s Semifinal scores
New Zealand 17 Ireland 10
Fiji 38 Australia 14
Final:
New Zealand v Fiji (20.54)
Bronze final
Australia v Ireland (19.01)
