Day 4: Record Crowd of 66,000 Shines at Women’s Rugby Sevens Olympics

A new record for women’s rugby attendance was set as 66,000 fans filled Stade de France for the first day of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 women’s rugby sevens competition.

The women’s teams took center stage on Sunday, beginning the competition in style. The packed crowd marked a new high for a women’s rugby event, surpassing the previous record of 58,498 at Twickenham for England vs. France in 2023.

The Rio 2016 gold medalists and SVNS 2024 Grand Final champions, Australia, showcased their prowess on day one, defeating South Africa and Great Britain to top Pool B and secure a quarter-final spot. Australia scored 12 tries in total, with Maddison Levi alone scoring seven to bring her Olympic total to 10. The USA, France, and New Zealand also secured their spots in the knockouts, while China pulled off an upset by defeating the Tokyo 2020 bronze medalists, Fiji, 40-12.

Reigning Olympic champions New Zealand ended the day at the top of Pool A after a 33-7 win over Canada and a 43-5 victory against China. In the match against Canada, Jorja Miller scored twice in the first half, contributing to a 19-7 lead at the break. Jazmin Felix-Hotham and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe added tries, ensuring a strong finish for New Zealand.

Fiji faced a tough start, losing both of their matches—first narrowly to Canada 17-14, and then unexpectedly to China. Fiji led early against China but conceded six tries to suffer a significant defeat.

Australia’s opening match against South Africa saw Maddison Levi and Faith Nathan score within the first four minutes. Levi added three more tries before halftime, leading to a 24-0 advantage, and completed her fourth in the second half. Teagan Levi also contributed to a 34-5 victory. Against Great Britain, Maddison Levi scored three more tries in a 36-5 win, supported by tries from Bienne Terita, Teagan Levi, and Nathan.

Great Britain finished the day second in Pool B after a 21-12 victory over Ireland. Ireland rebounded with a 38-0 win against South Africa, keeping their quarter-final hopes alive with tries from Béibhinn Parsons, Stacey Flood, Vicki Elmes Kinlan, Eve Higgins, and Amee Leigh Murphy Crowe.

The USA began their Olympic campaign with a 36-7 win over Japan in Pool C. Despite Japan’s early lead, the USA took control, with Kristi Kirshe scoring twice in a six-try performance. A 24-5 win over Brazil secured their unbeaten status heading into a decisive match against France.

Hosts France thrilled the home crowd by ending the day unbeaten, winning against Brazil and Japan without conceding a point. They opened with a 26-0 victory over Brazil and followed with a dominant 49-0 win against Japan, scoring seven tries to lead Pool C.

The women’s sevens competition continues on Monday with the final round of pool matches starting at 14:00 local time (GMT+2), followed by the quarter-finals at 20:00. The finals will take place on Tuesday, 30 July.