New Zealand and Australia too good
Favourites Australia and arch-rivals New Zealand were in ruthless form as rugby sevens made its Olympic debut yesterday morning (Singapore time), with Frenchwoman Camille Grassineau grabbing a piece of history by scoring the first try of the tournament.
The Wallabies ran unfancied Colombia ragged in their opening match, as Charlotte Caslick scored a hat-trick in the 53-0 rout.
There were no worries in their second game as they dispatched Fiji by a 36-0 margin.
New Zealand look the closest rivals to Australia, with Kayla McAlister - sister of Toulouse-based former All Black Luke - and Portia Woodman both outstanding in lop-sided wins over Kenya (52-0) and Spain (31-5).
"I've just got to get over that white chalk to get the points on the board. That's my job," said McAlister, who finished the day with four tries.
"No team are weak. This is the Olympics: every game's a final and France is our next one which will be tough."
France, Canada and Britain also finished the day's play unbeaten in blistering conditions with temperatures above 30-deg C at the 15,000-seater Deodoro Stadium, which was half-full at best.
And it was France's Grassineau who was first on the scoreboard, crossing for a try in her team's opening 24-7 victory over Spain.
"The main goal was to win, but the first try happened to come to me. It was a try for the team and we made a good start," she said.
"We'll see, if in 10 years' time, my name is in the books!" - AFP.
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