Fiji goes down to Argentina but can still make the Cup semis if they beat Australia

The Fiji Airways Men’s National 7s team suffered their first loss to Argentina, going down 17-14 in their second pool match at the Vancouver Sevens, and now need to beat Australia with a bonus point to secure a place in the semi-finals.

Vuiviawa Naduvalo showed his class early, opening Fiji’s scoring with a try in the second minute to give the team a 7-0 lead.

The Pumas responded quickly and, maintaining possession from the kickoff, they converted their pressure into points to narrow the deficit to 7-5 in the third minute.

Kadavu speedster and nippy scrum-half Terio Veilawa then stepped his way to the try line to score Fiji’s second try, extending their lead to 14-5.

Fiji appeared full of confidence, but Argentina broke through the defensive line again to score the final try of the first half, reducing the margin to 14-12 at half-time.

In the second half, George Bose struggled to contain the Pumas winger, and a lapse in defence allowed Argentina to score their first try of the half and take the lead 17-14.

The remaining minutes were fiercely contested, with both teams battling hard.

However, neither side managed to add any more points, allowing Argentina to secure the 17-14 victory and keep their semi-final hopes alive.

Fiji will play Australia at 2.56pm later today.

Live Updates

1st minute Argentina kicks off and Fiji loses the ball in the aerial contest scrum to the Pumas.

2nd minute Argentina attacks and fails to secure the ruck Fiji opts for a line out and attacks the Pumas line, allowing Naduvalo to score the first try to lead 7-0.

3rd minute Argentina scores the first try and trails Fiji 7-5.

6th minute Tamani scores another try for Fiji, securing the ball from a broken play to extend their 14-5.

7th Argentina scores the final try of the first half to narrow their deficit to 14-12.

Fiji kicks off, and the ball does not make the 10-meter line penalty to the Pumas.

Argentina scores their first try in the first half, poor defense from Bose to lead 17-14.

4th minute, both teams are contesting for the ball, and Argentina keeps the possession.

7th minute Argentina kicks the ball out to secure a win, keeps them in touch for the knock out round.