Great Britain and France advanced to Sunday’s final of the World Rugby SVNS Series at Los Angeles with tight semi-final triumphs.
The British squad edged Spain 10-7 while France held off Ireland 26-24 in advancing to the championship match.
Robbie Fergusson’s try in the fifth minute gave Great Britain a 5-0 half-time lead and Alex Davis added another in the ninth minute that made the difference.
Tobias Sainz-Trapaga scored a try for the Spaniards in the 12th minute and Juan Ramos added a conversion but it was too little and too late.
France advanced when Ireland’s Billy Dardis missed a conversion kick after Terry Kennedy scored his second try in the 15th minute.
Rayan Rebbadj delivered a try and three conversions for France, which also had tries from Antoine Dupont, Paulin Riva and Antoine Zeghdar.
The French had seized a 26-12 lead before Zac Ward and Kennedy struck in the final minutes to lift the Irish within reach.
Former World Rugby Player of the Year Dupont, France’s 15-a-side captain and scrum-half, switched to sevens in a bid to compete for Paris Olympic gold later this year. He debuted last weekend when France finished third at Vancouver.
Australia and New Zealand advanced to the women’s final, the Aussies ousting the United States 26-19 and the Kiwis eliminating Canada 31-12.
