UK Edition
Team GB’s sevens programme 'a joke', says stand-in skipper after missing out on Tokyo medal
- Argentina secure men's bronze medal as GB finish fourth in 17-12 loss
- Fiji retain gold medal after 27-12 win over New Zealand
Dan Bibby branded GB’s sevens programme “a joke” as Britain agonisingly lost out to Argentina 17-12 in their bronze medal play-off at the Ajinomoto Stadium yesterday.
The England and Great Britain star, who announced his international retirement after a nine-year international career, added that interest in the format would die unless the home unions “pulled their finger out” and funded it properly.
Having lost 29-7 to New Zealand in a one-sided semi-final earlier in the day, a result which left a number of GB players, including injured captain Tom Mitchell, in tears, Britain managed to refocus and they got off to the best possible start against Argentina, Ben Harris crossing inside 30 seconds.
However, Lautaro Bazan Velez broke to level before 21-year-old Marcos Moneta, one of the players of the tournament and the star of his team’s extraordinary six-man win over South Africa in the last eight, stepped inside Dan Norton to score.
Ollie Lindsay-Hague brought GB level again at 12-12 after the interval following a neat exchange of passes with Harris, but Alex Davis’ missed tackle on Ignacio Mendy proved decisive.
GB’s player sank to their knees at the final whistle as Argentina celebrated wildly.
Bibby, one of the survivors of the team from Rio that secured a silver medal, said the players were proud of their efforts over the course of the tournament, especially given many of them were made redundant last year.
The National Lottery stepped in just before Christmas to fund their Olympic campaign, but many of the players are facing uncertain futures.
“If I’m brutally honest, it’s a joke,” Bibby said. “We’ve been offered eight contracts. Eight contracts is ridiculous. To play against a team like New Zealand with eight boys on not much more than minimum wage, it’s an impossible task.
“If you look at who has done well in this tournament, New Zealand have had a full programme the entire time. Argentina? Full programme the entire time. Fiji? Full programme the entire time. You can’t compete at this level unless you're properly-funded.”
Bibby, 30, added that he was not concerned for himself so much as for his younger teammates and for young children who might have been inspired watching these Games.
“I had a few texts back home from mates with their little boys and girls watching, screaming at the telly saying how fun it is,” he said. “That makes it for me, that we’re inspiring little boys and girls. But unless the unions pull their finger out, it won’t be exciting many people for much longer.
"It’s up to them now. We’ve shown what we can do. Off little funding, we can do that, so imagine what we can do with actual funding.”
He added: “Whatever happens I want to showcase sevens as much as I can so that the younger lads - Ben Harris who is 21, Ethan Waddleton, 22 - can benefit. They have massive careers ahead of them. Everyone asks about the next Olympics. They have no idea how they are getting to the next Olympics.
“I’m really disheartened by the lack of intent and commitment by the unions. If they aren’t going to fund it, be grown-up about it, say they don’t want to do it. Fair enough, I’m a grown-up, I can handle that, I can handle honesty. But not all this wishy-washy nonsense, that’s my view on it.
"I’ve loved this game for so long and if I can put some pressure on someone way higher above me, that’s my job done, I’ll retire a happy man.”
Sevens masters Fiji secured back-to-back Olympic titles, beating New Zealand 27-12 in the final with some typically swashbuckling rugby.
The island of 800,000 inhabitants has now won both men’s tournaments since the sport was added to the Olympic roster in 2016.
Sevens bronze and gold medal matches - as they happened
Dan Bibby, Team GB stand-in skipper, speaks to the BBC
Deflation... it hurts. There aren't many words to sum it up. It really hurts.
I don't think we were off the pace. We gave two easy tries away which, in a final, you cannot give away. But that's just sevens. We have seen it the entire weekend. The bounce of a ball, a missed tackle, and that's the game.
Everyone was hurt and left it out there. We gave it everything and that's what we can hang our hats on.
But I have such fond memories. To even be here in the first place is a bit of a miracle. We know what went on and how hard we worked. I am beyond proud of the boys for being here and giving everything to each other, Team GB, and their family and friends - that's way better than a medal.
Second half: New Zealand 12 Fiji 19
New Zealand kick to the corner with five minutes to play.. but Fiji pinch the throw, and off they go!
Fiji, with such nonchalance, get up to the New Zealand 10-metre line but Tuimaba elects to kick through.
It's far too long and there's no one chasing - New Zealand will put in on their own 22.
Second half: New Zealand 12 Fiji 19
New Zealand take their own restart and the momentum is with them. Collier carries down the left, before they spread it wider on the right, with Curry trundling the ball up, too.
Ware makes a half-break but he is just pulled down. This is good patience from New Zealand and they win a penalty on the 10-metre line.
13 mins: Great Britain 12 Argentina 17
Bazan Valez has put one Argentina hand on the trophy there, with a superb jackal turnover on the deck after a powerful Harris run. Argentina elect to scrum, to run down the clock.
But what a shove from GB at the scrum! They win a penalty. They need a try and there are 20 seconds left!
9 mins: Great Britain 5 Argentina 12
Lindsay-Hague bursts before feeding Norton on the outside. He finds Davis inside who attempts an audacious chip-and-collect - he was milimetres from regathering!
But Argentina get themselves into trouble as they try to counter and Norton pinches the ball five metres out. There's space out wide...
Half-time: Great Britain 5 Argentina 12
GB dance with the devil as they hunt for an unlikely length-of-the-field try but the Argentina defence holds firm.
Harris knocks on a sloppy pass and Argentina think they can scoot away for another score, but the referee spotted a knock-on in the attempted pick-up.
TRY ARG: Great Britain 5 Argentina 10
Moneta puts Argentina in front!
GB's attack breaks down in midfield with Lindsay-Hague looking a little out of sorts again.
Argentina flood the left before holding the ball up well and identifying the space down the right. Moneta's step takes him passed Norton and Bibby to score under the posts.
In case you missed it yesterday...
GB booked their place in this morning's semi-final - where they lost to New Zealand - with an incredible comeback victory over the US. Britain went 21-0 down before fighting back to a 26-21 win.
Minutes later, Argentina - GB's bronze-medal insurgents today, who lost to Fiji in their own semi-final this morning - went one better. The South American side pulled off a remarkable victory against South Africa - with just six men. Argentina were even reduced to five men for the last few minutes of the match.
0-0 bore-draw today, anyone? In fairness, that would be exceptional.
Good morning!
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport's live coverage of Tokyo 2020's sevens finale, as Great Britain face Argentina in the bronze medal match before heavyweights New Zealand and Fiji meet in the gold medal match.
As Tom Cary writes from Tokyo, a tearful Tom Mitchell said he was “confused” and still processing his emotions after Great Britain’s hopes of winning gold in the sevens were dashed by New Zealand in a one-sided semi-final at the Ajinomoto Stadium.
After their thrilling quarter-final comeback win against the United States on Tuesday, hopes were high that GB might be able to harness the momentum from that match and go all the way.
But captain Mitchell was still missing after having to go off injured in the quarter-final. And in his absence the GB team, led by Dan Bibby, were thoroughly outclassed by New Zealand who ran in five tries in a 29-7 victory.
GB now face Argentina - who lost to Fiji in the other semi - in the bronze medal match at 9.30am today.
“It’s a confusing one,” said Mitchell after the game, his voice cracking from behind his face-mask. “Watching from the sidelines and trying to stay composed, and do what I can from the team. I probably didn’t go through the emotions in the game like the boys would have done. It will probably hit me as we’re talking right now, which is…. not very useful…”
Mitchell explained that his emotional reaction was not just to do with the disappointment of losing, but because of the journey he and his team have been on, with the sevens programme in disarray after funding cuts during the pandemic.
The National Lottery stepped in late last year with a package for the 2021 season, but most of GB's sevens squad - including Mitchell - are still unsure of their next steps.
New Zealand controlled the game from the first whistle, probing GB’s defences and eventually scoring through Scott Curry.
Britain hit back thanks to record try scorer Dan Norton who raced home from the halfway line after a fine offload from Ollie Lindsay-Hague. But the Kiwis got their second try just before the break via Regan Ware. And the second half was one-way traffic.
Ware scored his second before Dylan Collier plucked the resulting kick-off by teammate Andrew Knewstubb out of the air and raced home for his first and New Zealand’s fourth of the game.
Curry added a fifth late on to rub salt into GB’s wounds.