Fijiana Stumbles in Paris: South Africa Claims 11th Place While Fiji Records Worst Olympic Finish

The Fijiana ended their Paris Olympic campaign in disappointment, finishing in 12th place after a 21-15 defeat to South Africa in the 11th and 12th place playoff. This marked Fiji’s worst Olympic performance since their debut at the Rio Games eight years ago.

The match started poorly for Fiji as South Africa quickly put points on the board with a converted try. The situation worsened when Fijiana player Sesenieli Donu was sent off for two minutes due to dangerous contact, leaving her team short-handed.

The Fijiana’s difficulties compounded when Ana Maria Naimasi was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on shortly after, allowing South Africa to score their second try. By halftime, South Africa had built a 14-0 lead.

The second half saw South Africa add another try, pushing their lead to 21-0. However, Fiji fought back with three unconverted tries from Kolora Lomani, Verenaisi Bari, and Talei Wilson, but their efforts fell short, and they were unable to overcome the deficit.

In the final match of the day, New Zealand will look to defend their gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics against Canada. The Kiwis secured their place in the final with a 24-12 victory over the USA in the first semifinal.

Meanwhile, Canada caused a major upset by defeating 2016 champions Australia 21-12 in the second semifinal, setting the stage for a thrilling final showdown.