This is the Australian men’s best Olympic campaign but they are determined not to leave Paris empty-handed.

They had a long team huddle after the match to regroup for the bronze medal game at 3am AEST on Sunday morning (7pm Saturday in Paris).

“We talked in the huddle about not dwelling on that one game,” captain Nick Malouf said.

“We’ve played well all week and there is plenty left to play for and we’ve got a lot more to give.”

Australia led early thanks to some Ben Dowling brilliance. He kicked a loose ball ahead twice and scored in the corner, with Dietrich Roache then delivering a fantastic sideline conversion.

Fiji hit back right before the break with an 80-metre try that ensured the contest was locked at 7-7 at halftime.

The Aussies fought hard once play resumed but handling errors and problems at the restart gave the Fijians far too many opportunities. In the end, the Fijians dominated possession and were too good.

Fiji will play France and the 70,000 spectators for the gold as the Pacific Islanders aim to win a third straight Olympic gold.

In the first semi-final, France and South Africa failed to score in the first half with desperate defence the order of the day.

South Africa scored in the corner with three minutes remaining to set up a 5-0 lead before the French hit back to score under the posts and nudge ahead 7-5 with two minutes remaining.

The host nation then went through the gears as they soared on the deafening noise in the Stade de France, scoring twice more to win 19-5 and secure a spot in the gold medal match.

Andrew Reid