The United States men's rugby team started the day with a convincing 33-17 win over Uruguay to advance to the quarterfinals as one of the top-two No. 3 seeds moving on from pool play.
But as well as they played against Uruguay, the Americans sputtered against Australia, falling 18-0.
The U.S. squad had been looking to better their quarterfinal loss from Tokyo. The Aussies also hadn’t advanced past the quarterfinal stage in the last two Olympic Games.
Lucas Lacamp entered the match as one of the better players for the United States and veteran Perry Baker was coming off a four-try performance against Uruguay.
The Americans had a good start to their quarterfinal match, charging down the field, but a forward pass from Aaron Cummings changed possession. At first, the U.S. defense looked like a brick wall against Australia. However, a bad lineout and a penalty provided Australia’s first try from James Turner.
Late in the first, with the Americans advancing, a crushing turnover occurred that opened the door for Australia’s Corey Toole to tack on five more points.
For most of second half, the Americans’ offense looked flat and disconnected. They never made it past midfield. The nail in the coffin proved to be a not releasing penalty by the Americans with less than a minute to play. Maurice Longbottom converted the drop kick for points and would add a try of his own in stoppage time, handing the U.S. the 18-0 loss.
Play isn’t finished for the Americans. After a break on Friday for the Opening Ceremony, they will play Ireland on Saturday at 9:15 a.m. ET. The U.S. will play two matches to determine its final placing — it could finish as high as fifth or as low as eighth.
If Baker scores a try in either match, he will pass former teammate Carlin Isles for the most tries in Olympic sevens history. The 38-year-old winger has already announced this will be his last tournament.