All Blacks Sevens captain Scott Curry says today's quarterfinal loss to South Africa - ruling them out of the medal hunt - is a “massive disappointment".
New Zealand went down 14-7 against the Blitzbok this morning, meaning their medal hopes are gone before the Games' opening ceremony.
“It comes in waves, one moment you think you’re alright the next you’re in tears - it’s tough,” Curry told 1News.
“Sevens is so brutal, if you're off by a little bit, you get punished.”
New Zealand finished third on the Sevens circuit, meaning there was expectation a medal may be within their grasp.
South Africa only qualified in June to take the 12th and final place for the men’s sevens tournament.
“We have to give credit to South Africa, they scrambled so well, we made some half breaks but they shut us down.”
The team are destined to leave Paris without a medal following their quarterfinal loss to South Africa. (Source: 1News)
Curry said there was a sombre mood in the changing room and there wasn’t much chat about the game itself, rather looking ahead to their remaining two outings at Stade de France.
“You never know when your last chance is to put that black jersey on. I just cherish every time I get that opportunity and I’ve got two more chances this weekend.”
The loss adds to the heartbreak of previous Games, as they bowed out in the quarterfinals in Rio, and narrowly lost the gold medal match in Tokyo.
This is Curry's third Olympic Games and could be his last. He was part of the squad that claimed the silver medal three years ago.
The Kiwis had beaten South Africa just yesterday in their pool match 17-5 and were heading into the quarterfinal off the back of a 14-12 comeback win against Ireland earlier this morning.
Forward Dylan Collier said he thought the team were building well in the tournament as they had made it through pool play undefeated.
“There’s definitely a lot of hurt in that changing room, we have a day off tomorrow to let it soak in,” said Collier.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back to the village and calling my kids, that will definitely take my mind off it.”
All Blacks Sevens coach Tomasi Cama said his team made too many errors in the early stages and tried to force it against a well drilled South African defence.
“The game is ruthless, in finals footy you can’t hesitate, you have to be decisive and take opportunities. When the opportunities were there we created errors or weren't patient enough to build phases and create another opportunity,” said Cama.
The All Blacks Sevens have a day off tomorrow before playing off for 5th to 8th place on Sunday.
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