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| USA 7s Defeat Argentina in Final Minute |
| Sevens - USA Sevens Men | |
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When Argentina's Gonzalo Gutierrez Taboada scored his side's second try 26 seconds into the second half against the USA, it appeared the Eagles were going to lose momentum from another promising first half. In the Eagles' first pool play match during the George 7s, the USA played England to a 7-all tie at half, then allowed three unanswered tries in the second stanza for a 26-7 loss.
But that wasn't the case in the Eagles' second match. Although Argentina took a 7-0 lead afer less than a minute, Mike Palefau skirted across the tryline a minute and a half later. Folau Niua's conversion produced a 7-all tie heading into the break. At halftime, the USA found itself in an indentical situation as their previous match. In order to have a fighting chance, the Eagles needed to minimize unforced errors and starve Argentina of the ball. But Argentina had plans of their own. Taboada's try and conversion reinstated the Pumas' seven-point lead, and there the scoreline stood for the next three minutes. It wasn't until Matt Hawkins scored in the fourth minute, and Shalom Suniula hit the conversion, that the Eagles evened up at 14. The sides battered each other for one more scoring opportunity, and with four seconds left in regulation, Mark Bokhoven put his side up with the final try, which Suniula converted for the 21-14 win. It was a fantastic come-from-behind victory that helped salve the wounds of the second-half slip against England. The Eagles now have their most difficult match of the day awaiting them - Samoa, which defeated England 24-14 and Argentina 17-5 earlier in the day. Game 1 USA 7 Game 2 Argentina 14 |
