SI:AM | Why You Need to Be Watching the U.S. Women’s Rugby Team

It’s well worth the little time it takes to watch.

The U.S. women rugby sevens team is a must-watch in Paris. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’ve had lots of fun talking about the Olympics with Mitch Goldich on our daily podcast. You should definitely subscribe to follow along with us.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏅 Olympic events of note
🇫🇷 Léon Marchand’s big night
🇺🇸 Huge win for USWNT

My new favorite sport

Of all the new sports added to the Olympics in recent years, rugby sevens may be the most enjoyable.

For the uninitiated, sevens is a variation of rugby played with just seven players per side, as opposed to the usual 15 players per team. And because the game is played on the same field as 15s, the massive amount of open space leads to fast-paced action and plenty of long scoring plays. But what really makes sevens a great spectator experience in the Olympics is that the games are fast: seven-minute halves with a one-minute halftime. When you factor in stoppage time at the end of either half, games take only about 20 minutes to complete. The sheer amount of events on offer every day at the Olympics can be overwhelming, but it’s easy to carve out less than a half hour to enjoy a rugby match.

If there’s one downside to the Olympic rugby format it’s that the tournament is over in a flash. The men’s tournament began Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony, and wrapped up Saturday, the first official day of the Games. Because the matches are short, each team plays twice per day, so the tournament moves quickly.

That’s why I’m here with a public service announcement: Please, watch the U.S. women’s rugby team while you have the chance.

In all likelihood, by the time you’re reading this the U.S. will only have three matches remaining in Paris. That’s less than an hour of rugby. The team’s first two games Sunday—a 36–7 win over Japan and a 24–5 win over Brazil—were excellent and set up a showdown at 9:30 a.m. ET Monday against France (also undefeated after the first day) to determine the winner of the group. Regardless of the outcome of that game—which, again, has probably already happened as you’re reading this—the U.S. is guaranteed to advance to the quarterfinals. That game will be at 3 p.m. ET Monday if the U.S. beats France or 4 p.m. ET if it loses.

Neither U.S. rugby team has advanced past the quarterfinals since the sport was added to the Olympic program in 2016. The men finished ninth in Rio, sixth in Tokyo and eighth in Paris. The women finished fifth in Rio and sixth in Tokyo. But after rolling in their first two games, it’s fair to consider the U.S. women medal contenders this time around.

The competition is stiff, though. France was utterly dominant in its first two matches, beating Brazil 26–0 and Japan 49–0. Australia has also been extremely impressive, winning its first two games by scores of 34–5 and 36–5. New Zealand cruised to 43–5 and 33–7 victories. But part of the beauty of the Olympic rugby tournament is that each team gets to play at least five games, even if they’ve been eliminated from medal contention.

That’s good news, because this American team is so much fun to watch. It has players who can zip past opponents with blazing speed, like Sarah Levy, who scored the squad’s first try of the Olympics by sprinting directly between two Japanese defenders, as well as bruising players who use their impressive strength to make a difference. The best example of the latter is Ilona Maher, who went viral for this brutal stiff arm on a Japanese opponent in the opening match. (Going viral is nothing new for Maher, who has roughly 3 million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok.)

ILONA MAHER COMING THROUGH. 💥#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/Im8JPa5WPs

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 28, 2024

If you want to see more plays like that, make sure you catch the rest of the team’s games. They take less time to watch than a rerun of The Office.

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Here’s what Mitch Goldich will be watching today at the Olympics.

• Pat Forde was at the pool in Paris, where Frenchman Léon Marchand lived up to the high expectations of his countrymen with his dominant win in the 400m individual medley.

• The U.S. women’s soccer team got its most impressive result in a long time on Sunday when it beat Germany. Clare Brennan has more on the dominant 4–1 win.

• Bob Harig argues that the Olympic golf tournament—which begins Thursday—is still worth watching even if it isn’t as significant as the four majors.

• Nick Selbe breaks down how the Dodgers’ rookie starters have kept the team afloat with so many pitchers dealing with injuries.

• Michael Fabiano takes stock of the most intriguing quarterback battles as NFL training camps begin.

• The NFL will require coaches to do live, in-game interviews this season.

The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:

5. The tie for the silver medal in the men’s 100m butterfly.
4. Elly De La Cruz’s four-steal game.
3. The amazing trick that clinched the gold medal in women’s skateboard street for Japan’s Coco Yoshizawa.
2. Canada’s late game-winner against France in women’s soccer.
1. Momoko Tanikawa’s long-range winner in stoppage time for Japan against Brazil.