Australia to face Fiji in Paris Olympics men's rugby sevens semifinal ...
The Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony is only a matter of hours away — but don't let that fool you into thinking the party hasn't already well and truly started in the City of Light.
Olympic Games are built not just on golden medal moments, but moments that stick in the memory.
And, with two days of competition already run and done in the men's rugby sevens, France has had its first such moment, during the spiciest of quarterfinals as it powered past Argentina with its best performance of the tournament so far.
ABC Sport will be live blogging every day of the Paris Olympics from July 27
Sevens is often described as an all-day party at which a handful of games of rugby take place — the entertainment in the stands matching the thrilling speed, exhilarating skills and daring enterprise on display on the field — and that has certainly been born out at the Stade de France over the past two days.
The largest single day crowd in sevens history — 69,000 fans — roared and danced and sung their way through the opening day's competition on Wednesday, with just as many doing the same on Thursday.
It made for a staggeringly good atmosphere.
The Paris party has already well and truly started.(Getty Images: Corbis/Christian Liewig)
French tricolours waved, cries of "Allez les Bleus" and anthemic renditions of La Marseillaise rang out from the towering stands of the Stade de France, drowning out the thumping base of the PA system whenever France were on the field.
It could have been springtime during the Six Nations if not for the stifling humidity of the Paris summer — although that heat broke with showers just in time for the quarterfinals to start.
The sound inside the Saint-Denis venue was deafening during France's quarterfinal with Argentina, the whole stadium alternating between roaring its approval and hissing and whistling its disgust at every ebb and flow of a thrilling game.
Andy Timo's opening try was met with a roar that seemed hard to surpass, but Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang's double just minutes later nearly lifted the UFO-like roof on the Stade de France clean off.
Aaron Grandidier Nkanang scored two quick tries as France flew out of the blocks in the first half.(Getty Images: Michael Steele)
Maybe Argentina never stood a chance against such naked hostility and passionate, frenzied support.
The hosts flew into a 21-0 half-time lead that had the stands rocking and pulsing in joy, creating a carnival of sound and excitement befitting the world's greatest sporting spectacle.
But Argentina was not done.
Rodrigo Isgró's breakaway try sent a murmur of discontent rippling around the stadium, followed by yet more angry booing.
The visitors hopes improved further when Jordan Sepho was sin binned, with Marcos Moneta scoring to further narrow the scores.
But then Antoine Dupont took control. Darting this way, probing at lines and putting France back on the front foot to the utter delight of the home support.
His final exclamation was utter genius, though.
Antoine Dupont was honoured for his stunning last-gasp try. (AP Photo: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
The crowd was counting down the clock, Dupont took a quick tap, dummying to kick the ball out of play and end the game, before stamping on the accelerator and splashing down for the winning score.
The Stade de France erupted as his teammates raised their talisman high above their heads, anticipating a semifinal against South Africa's Blitzboks, who outlasted arch rivals New Zealand 14-7 in a brutal contest — an outcome that led to even more booing from the home support.
The celebrations continued long into the third quarterfinal between Fiji and Ireland, another thriller of a contest that Fiji came back to win 19-15.
Those flamboyant Fijians will take on Australia in the semifinal, after John Manenti's men continued their excellent run with an impressive 18-0 win over the United States.
Australia had the backing of the crowd to beat Argentina in their final pool stage match.(AP Photo: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Australia, who started the day as fan favourites against pantomime villains Argentina, lost top points scorer at this tournament Dietrich Roache in the first half to a lower leg injury.
However, James Turner got the scoring underway with a simple put down after some sustained pressure, with Corey Toole's score following Henry Hutchinson's break giving Australia a 10-0 half-time lead.
Roache returned after the break and helped Australia keep the error-strewn Americans, who drew with France on Wednesday, deep in their own half of the field.
A penalty from Maurice Longbottom, pushed the lead out to 13-0, before Longbottom burrowed over from short range in added time to complete an 18-0 win and put the Aussies on the cusp of its first medal of the Games.
Why were Argentina being booed?Gaston Revol was surprised by how much the crowd were against Argentina. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
Every heroic story needs a villain — preferably one that can be vanquished in a suitably thrilling manner — and it's been clear who have been designated as enemies by the public in France.
Argentina's team were booed with each appearance on day one of the competition on Wednesday, and there was no cooling the vitriol directed their way when they took to the field in their opening match against Australia on Thursday.
Argentina's Gaston Revol seemed to sum things up pretty quickly.
"They hate us," he put, succinctly.
"I was surprised today [Wednesday] when we came out against Kenya and they started to boo.
"I was like, 'Wow, what is going on?'
"But it is OK. I understand it is because of a soccer game or something, maybe?"
Revol is right.
The animosity between the two nations is relatively fresh and was sparked when Argentine footballer Enzo Fernandez was filmed singing a racist chant during his side's Copa America celebrations.
The chant disparaged the African heritage of many of the members of France's multicultural football squad.
Fernandez's Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana described the video as "uninhibited racism" and the French Football Federation (FFF) filed a legal complaint with FIFA.
There are also tensions dating back to the SVNS Series final in Madrid, which ended in a 14-man, all-in brawl after Rodrigo Isgró drove Paulin Riva past the horizontal and onto the top of his back in a truly horrific spear tackle.
"Heated, that's the right word," French back Pasquet said on learning his quarterfinal opponents.
"I don't know what this match will look like, but we will let the magic of the Games operate.
The two sides did not end things well when they met in Madrid last time out. (Getty Images: Flor Tan Jun)
It is an odd reflection of history that France was destined to meet a team so pilloried by the home supporters, a century after its defeat to the similarly rebuked USA sparked a near riot in the stands of the Stade de Colombes.
Thankfully, things didn't quite go that far this time around, although France's Stephen Parez prophesied that the quarterfinal match would be "a big war … very physical".
"I hope that the stadium will help us a bit more than the Argentines," he said.
"I know the Argentines are hotheads. When they are booed or they feel rejected it can become a strength for them."
It almost was, but in the end, it was France who came out on top, ringing the bell from the Notre Dame cathedral to move on to Saturday's finals and send their supporters streaming out into the night.
For them, just like the rest of Paris though, the party is just getting started.
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