Team U.S.A. Rugby Sevens Come From Behind To Draw With France

PARIS, France – A late try gave Team U.S.A. a 12-12 draw against heavily favored France in both country’s first rugby sevens match of the Paris Olympics.

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The spoils are shared in an end-to-end encounter 🤝#Paris2024 | #RugbySevens pic.twitter.com/abHidAEP2J

— Rugby Sevens (@SVNSSeries) July 24, 2024

Provo native Maka Unufe checked in late for Team U.S.A. The USA Eagles take the field against Fiji later today. The game will kick off at 12:30 p.m. and can be seen on Peacock.

First Half

France took the opening possession and advanced deep into U.S. territory in the opening minutes. Just over three minutes in, France dotted down the match’s first try to grab a 5-0 lead.

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It’s go time! USA vs France! This crowd is going nuts!#KSLOlympics @KSL5TV @kslsports pic.twitter.com/zWXBgRiqSJ

— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) July 24, 2024

The U.S.’s Lucas Lacamp put his team on the scoreboard late in the half. With the conversion, Team U.S.A. held a 7-5 lead over one of the tournament favorites.

Second Half

France wasted no time finding the try zone after the half, slicing through the defense for five points in the opening minute. The conversion gave France a 12-7 advantage.

The U.S. responded as the clock dwindled when Marcus Tupuola slid into the try zone to tie the match at 12.

But the best part of this Rugby 7’s match between the USA and France is this guy… Maka Unufe from Provo, Utah and player for the Utah Warriors. He’ll be repping the America red, white and blue today.#KSLOlympics #Paris2024  @KSL5TV @kslsports pic.twitter.com/bAIzezgnFJ

— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) July 24, 2024

The match went on to end in a 12-12 draw.

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The 2024 Paris Olympics takes place Friday, July 26, through Sunday, August 11. The Paris Games are comprised of 329 events across 19 days, with 754 competitions and ceremonies for more than 10,000 athletes.

Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies, Locals in MLB, and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees, Beehive baseball, and Aggie athletics coverage here.

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